Trump to be awarded Israel Prize next year, the country’s top honor

Education minister tells US president that he’s receiving award for his ‘significant and consistent efforts on behalf of the Jewish people in Israel,’ invites him to April ceremony

Education Minister Yoav Kisch informed US President Donald Trump via phone call on Monday that he would be granting him the Israel Prize, considered the country’s highest honor.

Kisch spoke with Trump during the president’s meeting in Florida with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the rest of the Israeli delegation.

“It is my great and distinct honor to inform you that the Israel Prize committee… has reached a historical decision to award you the Israel Prize, in the category ‘special contribution to the Jewish people,'” Kisch told Trump as Netanyahu held up a phone toward the US president at the table.

Kisch claimed that the honor marks the first time since the founding of the state that the prize is being awarded to a non-Israeli citizen, in a “category created to recognize individuals whose actions have left an exceptional and enduring impact on the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world.”

However, the 1991 Israel Prize was awarded to non-citizen Zubin Mehta, an Indian conductor who directed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for many years.

Responding to Kisch, Trump said that it was a “great honor, really amazing being the first one outside of Israel, it’s really something.”

The education minister invited Trump to accept the award in person in Jerusalem on Independence Day in April 2026.

Trump did not directly accept the invitation, but he told Kisch that “I look forward to meeting you,” indicating that he is likely to attend.

Kisch thanked Trump for his “significant and consistent efforts on behalf of the Jewish people in the State of Israel,” citing among his “many contributions” his fight against antisemitism; efforts to return the hostages from Gaza; recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights; moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and “unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself, including during a period in which Israel confronted seven active fronts.”

Netanyahu chimed in that Kisch “forgot the B-2s,” a reference to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June, using B-2 stealth bombers.

Joking about his popularity among Israelis, Trump said: “I promise I’m not going to run against you, Bibi,” to which Netanyahu replied: “You never know,” resulting in laughter around the table.

Trump volunteered that when his daughter, Ivanka, came and told him she was converting to Judaism, “I was so thrilled, Jared I was thrilled, right?” he said to his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who was seated at the table. Kushner replied: “You were very supportive.”

Speaking to reporters after wrapping up his meeting with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump said that being granted the prize “was really surprising and very much appreciated.”

Netanyahu explained that since Trump has broken so many conventions, Israel decided to as well — to award the Israel Prize to a non-Israeli.

“It would honor us, Mr. President, if you could visit Israel” on Israel’s Independence Day, said Netanyahu.

The Israel Prize has been awarded each year on Independence Day since 1953, honoring Israelis who have excelled in a variety of fields, including “exceptional contribution to the nation.”

The prize, which is overseen by the Education Ministry, has faced allegations in the past of politicization and has been marked by past battles over controversial recipients.

The honorees are selected each year by a committee appointed by the Education Ministry. According to the Ynet news site, the committee that selected Trump for the honor was made up of Miriam Peretz, an activist and bereaved mother; movie producer Moshe Edery and Michal Abadi-Boiangiu, the incoming accountant general of the Finance Ministry.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, touting himself as a peacemaker who has ended multiple conflicts, including the two-year Israel-Hamas war.

When he was passed over for the prize in October, the White House slammed the Nobel committee for proving “they place politics over peace.”

Those seeking to curry the US president’s favor have often touted him as worthy of the prize, including Netanyahu, who in October posted an AI-generated image of Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize with the caption “Give [Donald Trump] the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it.”

Earlier this month, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and his US counterpart launched an initiative to mobilize world leaders to join them in nominating Trump for the prize.

And in early December, Trump became the first ever recipient of FIFA’s new peace prize at the 2026 World Cup draw, in a move widely seen as a consolation prize for his Nobel snub.