Netanyahu Calls Trump A Peacemaker And Nominates Him For Nobel Prize Despite ICC Arrest Warrant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Netanyahu presented the U.S. president with an official nomination letter at a White House dinner on Monday, the first meeting between the pair since the U.S. launched strikes on Iran.

“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,” Netanyahu told Trump.

“It’s the nomination of you for the Peace Prize, which is well-deserved. And you should get it.”

“Thank you very much, this I didn’t know,” Trump responded as he took the letter from Netanyahu and inspected it.

“Thank you very much. Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi,” Trump said.

In the letter, Netanyahu says he is nominating Trump for his “dedication to promoting peace, security, and stability around the world” as well as his “pivotal role in facilitating the Abraham Accords.”

The Abraham Accords are a series of peace agreements that established formal diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.

The agreements were brokered by the U.S. during Trump’s first term in 2020 and marked a major shift in the Middle East by focusing on mutual interests like security and trade.

Netanyahu’s nomination comes after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran ended, with a fragile ceasefire still holding after Trump targeted nuclear facilities in the region.

The president insists that three nuclear sites in Iran—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—were obliterated after the June 22 strikes, though early reports have raised doubts.

Pakistan last month also said it was nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping to end a four-day conflict with India.

But less than one day later, Pakistan condemned the U.S. for launching strikes on ally Iran, saying it “constituted a serious violation of international law” and the statutes of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Critics have since called for Pakistan to rescind its nomination.

At the White House meeting, Trump and Netanyahu responded to questions from reporters on the ongoing war in Gaza.

One reporter mentioned a security incident in Gaza that happened while Netanyahu was meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and resulted in IDF soldier casualties.

When asked if this would hamper ceasefire negotiations, Trump replied: “I don’t think so. They want to meet and they want that ceasefire.”

Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff added: “We have an opportunity to finally get a peace deal, Mr. Prime Minister, as we’ve discussed, and I’m hopeful for it very quickly.”

Netanyahu then answered a question on a plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, which is widely controversial and has been described as ethnic cleansing.

“I think President Trump had a beautiful vision, it’s called free choice. If people want to stay, they can stay but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.

“It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people free choice,” he said.

“We’re working with the U.S., very closely, about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always said—that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future.”

“I think we are getting close to finding several countries. I think this will give the freedom to choose, Palestinians should have it and I hope that we can secure it.”

Last week, Hamas said it gave a “positive” response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal that would halt fighting for 60 days amid the 21-month war.

Trump had earlier said Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza, endorsed the plan, but there has been no official Israeli statement.

There are severe concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Netanyahu’s conditions for a ceasefire deal, which reportedly insist that the Israeli military remain in Gaza.

Trump and Netanyahu are expected to discuss the proposed ceasefire during private meetings this week.