Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told President Donald Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, handing Trump a nomination letter during a meeting at The White House. The two leaders met for the first time since the US launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

At the beginning of the meeting at The White House, Netanyahu presented 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.

“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,” Netanyahu added.

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

It was the second high-profile nomination for the president. Last month Pakistan said it would recommend Trump for the prize.

During the meeting, Trump also said that he “hoped” that the U.S. would not strike Iran again.

“They want to work something out,” he said. “They’re very different now than they were two weeks ago.”

He declined to give a date for upcoming talks with Iran, but told reporters they would find out more details tomorrow.

Trump claimed during the meeting that Hamas “want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire.” But he did not share any additional details on preparations for a ceasefire, and when asked about a two-state solution with the Palestinians, directed the question to Netanyahu, who repeated Israeli insistences that they would maintain a “security guarantee” over territories such as the Gaza Strip.

“I think the Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers to threaten us,” Netanyahu said.

“And that means that certain powers like overall security will always remain in our hands.”

“I think we can work out a peace between us and the entire Middle East with President Trump’s leadership and by working together,” he continued.

“I think we can establish a very, very broad peace that will include all our neighbours.”

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