Trump hails 'historic dawn of a new Middle East' during speech to Israel's parliament

LAST UPDATE | 18 hrs ago

DONALD TRUMP HAS told the Israeli parliament that the ceasefire he helped broker in Gaza has ushered in the “historic dawn of a new Middle East”.

The US president addressed the Knesset hours after Hamas released the 20 living hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of imprisoned Palestinians as part of the fragile ceasefire that was agreed last week. 

Trump was greeted on a red carpet by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog when he landed at Ben Gurion airport this morning for his short stopover to the country before going on to Egypt. 

He received a standing ovation and several rounds of applause and chants of his name when he arrived at the Knesset. Some in the parliament also wore red hats that read ‘Trump the Peace President’ during his speech. 

Becoming the fourth US president to address the Knesset, he said: “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. 

“This is not only the end of a war… This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”

He deemed the ceasefire “an incredible triumph for Israel and the world” and urged Israel to translate their “victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

He also said he would help rebuild Gaza, which has been devastated during Israel’s long offensive, and urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence”.

The speech was briefly interrupted by two left-wing Knesset members, Ofer Cassif and Ayman Odeh, who were quickly removed. In a post shared on social media subsequently, Cassif said he and Odeh held up signs reading ‘Recognize Palestine!’.

Trump went on to say he wanted a peace deal with Iran, after the US joined Israel in striking the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites earlier this year.

“They got it from one side, from the other, and you know it would be great if we could make a peace deal with them.  Wouldn’t it be nice, I think. Because I think they want to.”

He said the ball was in Tehran’s court for any agreement to come to pass, adding: “We’re ready when you are.”

‘Why don’t you give him a pardon?’

At one point, Trump used his speech to call for a pardon for Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases. It is not the first time he’s commented on the matter.

“Hey, I have an idea. Mr President (Isaac Herzog), why don’t you give him a pardon?” Trump said, before adding: “By the way, that was not in the speech, as you probably know.

“But I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense.”

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In one case, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting more than $260,000 (€224,000) worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, declaring his ally one of Israel’s greatest wartime leaders.

Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in the two other cases.

During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts. Those prompted massive protests that were only curtailed by the onset of the offensive in Gaza.

Netanyahu is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s war on Gaza. 

Earlier, Netanyahu described Trump as the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had in the White House.

“No American president has ever done more for Israel,” he told the parliament.

Knesset speaker Amir Ohana told Trump he was “a colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history thousands of years from now”. He said they will also rally world leaders to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize next year. 

Trump met with the hostage families before arriving at the Knesset.  

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office confirmed this morning that Trump will also receive the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, the government’s highest civilian honour. He will receive it at a ceremony at a later date. 

The Republican leader will now continue on to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” of more than 20 world leaders to back his ceasefire plan. 

It was confirmed earlier that Netanyahu was invited to the summit by el-Sissi during a phone call between the two men and Trump.

But his office said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of Simhat Torah, a Jewish holiday which begins this evening and continues until sunset Tuesday.

Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the plan – including Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from Gaza. 

Speaking on Air Force One before landing in Israel, Trump insisted he had “guarantees” from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.

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Trump also said he would be “proud” to visit Gaza itself, but did not elaborate. A new governing body for Gaza – which Trump himself would head under his own plan – would be established “very quickly,” he added.

‘Major step forward for peace’

World leaders have welcomed the release of the hostages release this morning. 

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said today marks “a major step forward for peace and a day no doubt many families who had loved ones taken hostage feared would never come”. 

“We think of all the hostages this morning and their families as they are reunited. No peace plan is perfect. Such a thing does not exist. We know that from our own complex history but we also know how even the most complex conflicts and wars can end if everyone commits to peace and political pathways,” he said. 

Harris said Ireland remains ready to assist “in any way we can”, adding that he has directed his officials to do more in relation to sending aid to Palestinians in Gaza. 

“Today, after more than two years of horror, pain and unimaginable loss of life, there is a ray of hope.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the release of the seven hostages and highlighted Trump’s role in this “crucial milestone towards peace”.

“President Trump made this breakthrough possible,” she wrote on X.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “a new chapter can begin” following the release of the hostages. She said Europe “fully supports” the peace plan and that the Egypt summit to finalise it “will be a historical milestone”.

“We stand ready to contribute to its success with all tools at our disposal.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said that with the release of the hostages, “peace becomes possible for Israel, for Gaza, and for the region”.

“I share the joy of the families and of the Israeli people as seven hostages have just been handed over to the Red Cross,” Macron wrote on X after arriving in Egypt for the summit on Gaza.

With reporting from © AFP 2025

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