Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Monday that he’s nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — presenting the commander in chief with the letter he sent to the committee responsible for bestowing the honor.
“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,” Netanyahu told Trump at the White House.
“It’s the nomination of you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved. And you should get it.”
Netanyahu then reached across the table separating the US and Israeli delegations to hand the letter to Trump.
“This I didn’t know,” a surprised Trump said as he inspected the nomination. “Well, thank you very much.
“Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much.”
Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House for high-level meetings ahead of a private dinner between the two world leaders.
The Trump administration and Netanyahu’s team were expected to discuss the future of Gaza and the possibility of the Jewish state normalizing relations with Arab nations — but details of any potential progress made on both fronts were scant.
“I think our teams together make an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities,” Netanyahu said ahead of dinner with Trump.
“But the president has already realized a great opportunity to forge the Abraham Accords. He’s forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other.”
Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, the president’s guest house, for an extended meeting, but a readout was not released.
Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff also met with the Israeli prime minister, but similarly, no details were made available about what was discussed.
Trump has pushed for Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that would also result in the release of hostages being held by the terror group in Gaza.
The prime minister, however, has insisted that Israel will not enter into any agreement that allows Hamas’ continued existence in Gaza — a massive sticking point in ending the war.
Netanyahu recently said his delegation meeting with mediators in Qatar has been instructed to reach a deal under those terms.
The Israeli prime minister also maintains that the Israeli military should occupy Gaza indefinitely, with the role of governors transferred to local officials without any known ties to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthis, with the group responding with missile fire targeting Israel.
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