Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he has recommended President Donald Trump to receive the nation’s highest honor.
“I’ve submitted your nomination to be the first non-Israeli recipient of the Israel Prize,” Netanyahu said in an address to Israel’s parliament, pointing to the country’s award for individuals who display excellence in their field or contribute to Israeli culture.
“As to that other prize, it’s just a question of time. You’ll get it,” he continued.
Netanyahu referenced Trump’s quest for a Nobel Peace Prize, after the committee that chooses the recipient revealed Friday that this year’s accolade would be given to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. In the announcement, Machado was recognized for her efforts in promoting Democratic rights and “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Although Trump did not secure a personal victory, Machado expressed gratitude to the president while accepting the award on social media.
“This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom,”Machado wrote on X. “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy. I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
While speaking to reporters late Friday, Trump — who has faced mounting calls for the award in recent days after securing a U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas — said he had spoken with the opposition leader, who was “very nice” during their call.
“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it,’” Trump said.
He then joked: “A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ though I think she might have.”
Following a speech from Netanyahu, Trump also went on to address the Knesset after all 20 of the surviving hostages held by Hamas had been released on Monday. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said they were “shocked and dismayed” to learn that only four bodies of the 28 deceased hostages will be returned to Israel on Monday — and called for “immediate action” from the Israeli government and mediators.
Meanwhile, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement.
“We have built industries together, we have made discoveries together, we have confronted evil together, we have waged war together, and perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together,” Trump said in concluding remarks to his one-hour speech.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also announced Monday that Trump would be receiving the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor for brokering the ceasefire and helping release the hostages. Herzog said Trump will be “remembered for generations by the State of Israel and the Jewish people” and laying “the foundations for a new era in the Middle East built on security, cooperation, and genuine hope for a peaceful future.”
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