US President Donald Trump praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech in the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, hours after Hamas freed 20 remaining hostages: “Thank you very much, Bibi. Great job”.
Trump is in Israel to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that he declared had effectively ended the war and opened the door to building a durable peace in the Middle East.
“This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” he told the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero with standing ovations, cheers and the promise of a Nobel nomination.. Trump also promised a “golden age for Israel,” just “like the USA right now.”
“And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” he said.
“This is not only the end of a war… This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East, ” he added.
“The hostages are back, It feels so good to say it,” he said.
Trump commented that “a lot of people said we were wasting our time” with regards to the ceasefire agreement, but thanks to several “great American patriots, we achieved this, he said.
During the speech, he once again repeated his claim of stopping eight wars, saying, “When you settle eight wars in eight months, it really means you don’t like wars. Everyone thought I was going to be brutal. I remember Hillary Clinton said that I am going to war with everybody. She said that I have the personality of going to war. But I think my personality is about stopping war”
Brief Interruption
His speech was briefly interrupted by sloganeering by two lawmakers, one of whom was holding up a sign reading “genocide”. The lawmakers, Aymen Odeh and Ofer Cassif, were swiftly taken away by the security personnel at the Knesset.
Hamas released all 20 remaining hostages on Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that turned most of the Gaza strip into rubble, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.
“Never forget, and never again,” the US President declared as he remembered the October 7 victims.
Thanking mediators from the Arab and Muslim world, he said, “Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home.”
“We had a lot of help, we had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn’t suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that. It’s an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace,” he added.
“Now You Can Be A Bit Nicer, Bibi”
He also said that Netanyahu is not easy to deal with, “but that’s what makes him great”. “Now you can be a bit nicer, Bibi, because you’re not at war,” Trump said.
“The world wanted peace and Israel wanted peace, everybody did, and what a victory it’s been. The timing of this is brilliant,” he said while thanking Netanyahu for “having the courage to end the war when he did”.
He said the “painful nightmare is finally over”. “From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” he said.
“For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace… The long and painful nightmare is finally over,” the US president added.
Trump’s Gesture To Iran
Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”
He claimed that Iran wants to make a peace deal. “We’re ready when you are (for a deal),” he said in a message to Iran.
“We merely want to live in peace…We don’t want any looming threats over our heads,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Trump received multiple standing ovations from the Israeli lawmakers at the parliament. Its speaker, Amir Ohana, also endorsed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize next year: “There is no one more deserving than you, Mr President”.
Later today, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.
The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.