Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Nominates Trump For Nobel Peace Prize

Benjamin Netanyahu (right) presenting a copy of the letter he sent to the Nobel Prize Committee to Donald Trump at the White House

Source: Africa Publicity

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made it clear that he will nominate American President, Donald Trump, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

He made this known in a meeting with President Trump at a White House dinner in Washington DC.

According to him, this coming Monday, he will nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The meeting at the White House which was the first for the two leaders since the US strike the three Iranian nuclear sites, Trump was expected to press Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Israel’s 21-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza amid an outcry over the humanitarian cost of an offensive that has led to nearly 60,000 deaths, most of them Palestinian.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators met for indirect talks for the first time in six weeks in Qatar on Monday.

While both sides have spoken positively about the prospects for a ceasefire, a number of crucial negotiating points remain including guarantees from the Israeli side that the war would not continue and Netanyahu’s insistence that Hamas be banished from Gaza for good.

Before a dinner in the Blue Room at the White House, Trump was asked whether he believed that Palestinians should be forcibly removed from Gaza, amid reports that Israel has laid out plans to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah – a plan that has been criticised as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing. Trump directed Netanyahu to answer the question.

“It’s called free choice,” according to Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court for alleged war crimes relating to the Gaza war.

“You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.”
“It shouldn’t a prison,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. “It should be an open place and give people a free choice. We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say they wanted – to give the Palestinians a better future. And … I think we’re getting close to finding several countries.”

At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu presented President Trump with a letter that he said he had sent to a committee for the Nobel peace prize commending Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East.

Netanyahu says “I want to express the appreciation and admiration not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said before presenting the letter. “You deserve it.”

Trump replied Netanyahu:
“Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful.”

This is the second high-profile nomination for Trump.

In June, Pakistan says it would recommend Trump for the peace prize.
During the meeting, Trump also said that he “hoped” that the US would not strike Iran again,” saying “They [Iran] want to work something out.”

He added “They’re very different now than they were two weeks ago.”

President Trump avoided giving a date for upcoming talks with Iran, but told White House correspondents they would find out more details tomorrow.