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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a proclamation signed by U.S. President Donald Trump recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, during a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP) Image Credit: AP

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to name a new colony in the Occupied Golan Heights after President Donald Trump out of gratitude for the White House’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Netanyahu was touring the Occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday and said there was a “need to express our appreciation” to the president.

He says he will advance “a resolution calling for a new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald J. Trump.”

Last month Trump officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the territory it captured from Syria in the 1967 War.

Israel annexed the mountain plateau in 1981, a move unrecognised by most of the international community.

An estimated 20,000 Israelis live in Golan Heights colonis, which most of the international community considers illegal.