Trump Heights residents voice unease over US-Iran deal but stand by Trump

JERUSALEM: Residents of Trump Heights, an Israeli settlement in the annexed Golan Heights near the Lebanon border, expressed unease over the US-Iran agreement announced earlier this week to end the Middle East war, but several said they were not ready to turn against US President Donald Trump.

The agreement is also meant to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Israel, it is widely seen as weakening the country’s security and as a strategic setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because Washington accepted it.

In Trump Heights, a small community of prefabricated homes about 15 kilometres from the Lebanon border, residents said the deal had not gone down well. Still, some argued Trump should be given time as the arrangement is worked through over the next 60 days. Shlomo Schlechter, a 32-year-old law student, said residents were willing to give the US president room to act in what he sees as America’s interests while also helping its allies, especially Israel.

He said American and Israeli interests do not always fully align, but added that he still trusted Trump to make the right call. Schlechter also said he did not believe the agreement would last and did not expect Israel to leave Lebanon.

He told AFP "We hope that President Trump will remain firm, and when he sees that the Iranians are not serious — as I expect will happen — he will return and know how to deal with them with a heavy hand, as he knows how to do"

On Friday morning, Israeli artillery fire could be heard from Trump Heights heading towards Lebanon, after four Israeli soldiers were killed the night before. By late afternoon, a US official said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4:00pm local time, or 1300 GMT, after mediation by the United States and Qatar following talks with Israel and Iran.

Dalia Ben Shabbat, a 38-year-old architecture student and mother of four living in Trump Heights, said residents remained appreciative of Trump despite disagreement over the Iran deal. She told AFP:

"When someone does something good for you, you’re not gonna hate them right when they do something you agree a little less with"

She added "Regarding President Trump himself, we’re very thankful for what he’s done for Israel until now"

Hours before the US-Iran deal was announced, Trump sharply criticised Netanyahu over attacks in Lebanon that he said risked derailing the agreement. He said "He’s a very difficult guy"

Trump added “and to be honest with you, he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”

On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance also rebuked Israeli critics of the agreement, warning against distancing Israel from its remaining major backer. He said:

"Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world superpower"

Even so, some residents of Trump Heights said the criticism from the US leadership did not alter their view of Trump. Ben Shabbat said "If the person is good, the person is good"

Settlement named after Trump

Trump Heights was established as a tribute to Trump after he recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, making the United States the first and so far only country to do so.

While some residents continued to support him, others voiced strong objections to the agreement with Iran. One middle-aged resident in a wheelchair, who declined to be identified, compared the deal to wartime collaboration in France during World War Two. A teenager in the settlement, who said he had been out of school for the past two months because of the war, said the agreement did not reflect the concerns of Israelis living close to Lebanon. He said that even if people in central and southern Israel stopped facing Iranian missile fire under a ceasefire, residents in the north would still remain exposed to Hezbollah rockets.