After President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and helped secure the return of living hostages, Petah Tikva residents hoped the city square once named after him would bear his name again. But the city hall had other plans.
In 2019, during Trump's first presidential term, Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg decided to rename the central square on the main business street, Haim Ozer, "Donald Trump Square" in recognition of the American president's significant contributions to Israel. The city also built an impressive fountain and placed a US flag next to the Israeli flag. Along with the flags, they installed a sign written in Hebrew and English that read, "Donald Trump Square. The 45th President of the United States and the first to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel."
The square was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by Ministers Israel Katz and Eli Cohen, who served as foreign and economy ministers at the time, as well as then-US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. The mayor said at the ceremony, "The State of Israel has never had a president as supportive and backing as Donald Trump. We appreciate and value his support for Israel and its residents, and it's fitting that a central square in Israel's fourth-largest city be named after him. President Trump is the first to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the first to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is an inseparable part of Israel."
But in August 2023, four years after naming the square after him, the sign bearing Trump's name was removed. Later, the square's name was changed to "United States Square."
Now, residents hoped to restore the name to the square. Alon, a city resident, said, "I didn't understand from the beginning why they removed the name after calling the square 'Trump'. It was embarrassing. Now the time has come to fix this."
Noa added, "Even when Trump left the White House, he was still the first president to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. There was no reason to change the name, and now, after he returned to the White House and helped us with Iran and Gaza, they need to restore the name."
The Petah Tikva municipality doesn't intend to restore Trump's name to the square at this time. A source at the municipality told Israel Hayom, "The square's name has already been changed. You can't change the name all the time." Petah Tikva municipality response: "The purpose of naming the square is to honor and express gratitude for the friendship and support of the United States toward Israel in general."
