Netanyahu praises Petah Tikvah for ‘Trump Square’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to the Petah Tikvah municipality, praising them for deciding to name the central square after US President Donald Trump.

The dedication, to which Netanyahu, the US ambassador to Israel David Friedman and other public figures and ministers have been invited, will take place on July 4.

Rami Greenberg, the city’s mayor, said that they decided to name the square in honor of the US President, because of “his unqualified support for the State of Israel.

“I am delighted to give my blessing to the naming the central square of Petah Tikvah, in honor of President Trump,” Netanyahu said in the letter.

“Trump is a true friend of Israel, and has demonstrated uncompromising friendship to Israel’s security, especially with regards to the Iranian threat, transferring the US Embassy to Jerusalem and Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” he added.

The ceremony will take place on July 4th, US Independence Day. According to the Netanyahu, the symbolic date reflects the close alliance between the two countries.

“The US is the strongest ally of Israel; Israel is the strongest ally of the US,” Netanyahu wrote, adding that  “We share values such as freedom and justice which are rooted in the Bible. We stand together against the challenges of today, and defend the values of freedom, progress and enlightenment.”

Established in 1878, Petah Tikvah is known to be the mother of settlements where Israel’s founding fathers “considered the pioneering path in the salvation of the country,” as highlighted by Netanyahu in his letter. The name, in English “Opening of hope,” was chose by its founders from the prophecy of Hosea, “And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the Valley of Achor for an opening of hope.”

“Due to their determination and stubbornness [Israel’s founding fathers] established the what became a city and ‘mother in Israel’ whose development never ceases,” Netanyahu concluded.

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