Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump he nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, using a visit to the White House to further cement the pairs relationship as the U.S. presses for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hes forging peace as we speak, Netanyahu told reporters at the start of a dinner with Trump and other top officials on Monday. In one country and one region after the other. So I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee. Its nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it.
Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful, Trump said.
Netanyahu is not the first foreign leader to nominate Trump, who has long coveted a Nobel. Last month, Pakistan said it would nominate Trump for the prize, underscoring how foreign leaders understand the best way to get what they want from the U.S. president is to shower him with praise.
Trump has long expressed irritation about the fact that his first-term predecessor, Barack Obama, won the Nobel Prize in 2009 a controversial decision that came before Obama surged U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Netanyahus visit to the White House his third since Trump took office in January comes as the two leaders also take a victory lap on the heels of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. The U.S. joined Israels military campaign against Iran and carried out a series of missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump claimed the sites were obliterated but damage assessments are continuing and the whereabouts of Irans enriched uranium stockpile remains unclear. Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end the fighting and is now pressuring the Islamic Republic to return to negotiations.
At the dinner, Trump said the U.S. and Iran were set to meet soon and reiterated that hes open to lifting sanctions on Iran. His envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that the U.S. and Iran would meet within the next week.
I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off, give them a chance at rebuilding, Trump said at the dinner with Netanyahu. Because Id like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner, and not going around saying Death to America, Death to the USA, Death to Israel, as they were doing.
Netanyahu is also visiting Washington as the Trump administration pushes for a halt to the war in Gaza, with the U.S. president raising hopes for a deal that could stop the fighting and see the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.
Trump said last week that a ceasefire could be close to the conflict that has raged since the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023 and which has threatened to further destabilize the region.
Trump and Netanyahu suggested a ceasefire was in reach, and the Israeli leader hinted that he would be willing to expand the Abraham Accords that normalized Israels relations with several regional nations.
I think we can work out a peace between us and the rest of the Middle East with President Trumps leadership, Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu has accepted a proposal put forward by Trump that would pause fighting in Gaza for 60 days and see the return of some hostages. Hamas said last week it had responded positively to the proposed deal and was ready to immediately enter negotiations.
International pressure is mounting on Israel to end its war in Gaza as more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the military campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Aid agencies are warning the 2 million residents of Gaza are at risk of famine.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, still holds about 50 hostages, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive.
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