Donald Trump sent an official State Department map to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, showing the long-disputed Golan Heights as part of Israel.

The US president sent his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner to deliver the map to Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Mr Trump had drawn an arrow on the map pointing to the Golan Heights and scribbled a single word: “Nice.”

“This map had not been updated since the Six Day War,” Mr Netanyahu said in an address to the nation, referring to the 1967 Middle East war, after which Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria and later annexed in 1981 it in a move which has not been internationally recognised. “Well, it has been updated, it just got an update ... That is to say, there are very important developments here.”

He pointed to Mr Trump’s note and added: ”Here is the signature of Trump, and he writes ‘nice.’ I say, ‘very nice!”’

Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights Show all 7 1 /7 Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights An Israeli soldier stands next to signs pointing out distances to different cities on Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights Druze people take part in a rally in Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria Reuters Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights Israeli Druzes sit together watching the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights A European member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on October 19, 1973 shows Israeli Defence Minister General Moshe Dayan (R) looking towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, four days after the beginning of the Yom Kippur War AFP/Getty Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights A file photo taken on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on September 5, 2014 shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF) using binoculars to look towards the Syrian side of the Golan Heights AFP/Getty Trump backs Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights Members of the United Nations peacekeepers standing on a watch tower during a visit by the Israeli Defence Minister in 2018 AFP/Getty

Mr Netanyahu is mired in political chaos after he failed to assemble a governing coalition.

During his bid for re-election, he repeatedly leveraged his relationship with Mr Trump and showed off political gifts from the White House to court voters.

His campaign received a huge boost when the Trump administration upended decades of US policy and formally recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel’s parliament has voted to dissolve itself and call a second election just a month after the last polls.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to the Golan Heights on a map of Israel signed by Donald Trump (EPA/ATEF SAFADI)

Mr Trump later claimed he made the snap decision after receiving a “quick history lesson” on the Middle East.

Speaking in Las Vegas at the Republican Jewish Coalition, Mr Trump recounted a meeting with his top advisers on the Middle East: “I said: ‘Fellows, do me a favour. Give me a little history, quick. Want to go fast. I got a lot of things I’m working on: China, North Korea. Give me a quickie,’” he said, according to Reuters.

He said he then continued: “How do you like the idea of me recognising exactly what we’re discussing?”

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The US president claimed David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel and an arch supporter of Israeli policy, was shocked, “like a wonderful, beautiful baby”, and asked if Mr Trump would actually do it.