By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a letter nominating the president for the Nobel Peace Prize during a meeting at the White House.
Netanyahu was at the White House for talks with Trump on the Middle East situation, including efforts to achieve peace with Iran and secure a cease-fire deal to end the war in Gaza.
“He’s forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other. So I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee,” the Israeli leader said as he handed the letter to Trump. “It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well-deserved, and you should get it.”
Trump accepted the letter and responded: “This I didn’t know. Wow, thank you very much. Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful.”
This marked the third meeting between the two leaders this year, and the first since U.S. forces launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last month amid the exchange of missiles between Israel and Iran, aiming to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The United States brokered a cease-fire between Israel and Iran following the strikes.
During the meeting, Netanyahu also praised Trump for his efforts in forging the Abraham Accords, which sought to normalize relations between Israel and countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Trump has pushed for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group. The two have been fighting since Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Trump administration has proposed a cease-fire deal that could pave the way for a 60-day pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas, after a previous six-week truce that ended in March.
The deal has received backing from Israel, but Hamas has yet to agree to it. Trump previously said that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas could be reached this week.
Last month, Pakistan’s government announced that it was nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in helping to avert a major confrontation between India and Pakistan.
Tension escalated between the two nations after the terrorist massacre of 26 Indian tourists near Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir on April 22. India has accused Pakistan of supporting the terrorists, which the latter denied.
The two countries eventually agreed to a cease-fire on May 10, with Pakistan crediting Trump for his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.”
India said the cease-fire resulted from talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries.
Trump told reporters on May 12 that he had threatened to revoke all U.S. trade with both India and Pakistan unless they agreed to stop the fighting.
Emel Akan and Chris Summers contributed to this report.
