President Trump heralded a seismic shift in the Middle East as he addressed the Israeli parliament on Monday, hours after the final 20 living hostages taken by Hamas were returned to Israel as the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire takes shape after two years of war.
Monday marked the first time Hamas and its allies in Gaza are not holding any living hostages since kidnapping 251 people from Southern Israel during its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack. The bodies of 26 hostages who have been declared dead are expected to be released soon.
In exchange, Israel began releasing 2,000 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences as part of its ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The hostage and prisoner exchange represents a significant milestone in the first phase of ending the war in Gaza and achieving peace in the region. Humanitarian aid has also started to arrive in Gaza to provide relief to the enclave’s devastated, starving population.
Mr. Trump was given a hero’s welcome at the Knesset, where he was greeted with thunderous applause that lasted several minutes. He was introduced as the “best friend Israel ever had in the White House.”
“The world needs more Trumps,” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said.
SEE ALSO: Democrats praise Trump, his administration for Israel-Hamas ceasefire breakthrough
Mr. Ohana said he will work with House Speaker Mike Johnson to rally leaders worldwide to nominate and advocate for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
In his hourlong remarks to the Knesset, Mr. Trump said the exchange ends the most violent chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and symbolizes a new beginning for the region plagued with bloodshed, famine and fear since war broke out.
“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,” Mr. Trump said.
“This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Mr. Trump continued. “It is an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all these nations working together as partners in peace. Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change.”
Mr. Trump expressed hope that the ceasefire in Gaza would spread peace throughout the broader Middle East, including to Iran, which he said “has inflicted so much death.”
“The hand of friendship and cooperation is always open,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Hamas releases all 20 remaining living hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire
The president issued a stern warning to both sides in the conflict, telling Israel it was time to lay down arms while also urging Hamas to abandon its hatred for the Jewish state and work to rebuild Gaza.
“Israel has won all that can be won by force of arms. Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East,” Mr. Trump said.
But he also called on Palestinians in Gaza to dedicate their “total focus” on “restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity and economic development, so they can finally have the better life their children deserve.”
“It should be clear to everyone throughout this region that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, jihadism and antisemitism have not worked — they have backfired completely and totally. From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering and failure.”
Mr. Trump thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he called a “great job” in helping him secure a ceasefire, but also offered a soft jab at the Israeli leader, calling him not “the easiest guy to deal with, but that’s what makes him great.”
But he also praised the Israeli leader as a man of “exceptional courage and patriotism whose partnership did so much to make this momentous day possible.”
In one surprising moment, Mr. Trump veered off his scripted remarks to call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Mr. Netanyahu amid his ongoing corruption trial that has been lingering amid the background of the war.
“Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon,” Mr. Trump said.
“I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense, you know, whether we like it or not, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents,” Mr. Trump said.
“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares,” he continued, referring to allegations that Mr. Netanyahu received expensive gifts such as cigars and champagne from overseas businessmen.
Mr. Trump also bashed his predecessors, former Presidents Joseph R. Biden and Barack Obama, accusing both presidents of hating Israel. He also blasted Mr. Obama for signing a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which Mr. Trump withdrew from in 2018.
Mr. Trump is the fourth U.S. president to address the Knesset and the first since President George W. Bush in 2008.
Prior to addressing the Knesset, Mr. Trump met with the families of the hostages. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released two photos of Mr. Trump meeting with Ruby Chen and Ronen Neutra, whose sons Itay Chen and Omer Maxim Neutra, were killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and their bodies are still being held in Gaza.
Monday was a day of celebration in Israel as emotional scenes of hostages being reunited with family members played on television screens across the country. The Israeli military released several photos showing the first seven hostages released beaming as they met with their families. Despite the optimism in Israel, thorny issues still remain ahead of the next phase of any agreement between Israel and Hamas, including a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and whether Hamas would agree to disarmament.
After addressing the Knesset, Mr. Trump will then travel to Egypt, where he will sign the ceasefire agreement and attend an International Peace Summit, which has been billed as an effort to bring peace to Gaza.
More than 20 world leaders were expected to participate in the event. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by Mr. Trump to attend, but declined, citing the proximity of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Other world leaders expected to join the conference include the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Pakistan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, the president of the European Council and the head of the Arab League.
Mr. Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi will chair the summit.
The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is also expected to attend, but Hamas leaders are not expected to participate in the summit.
