Donald Trump was heckled by left-wing politicians as he told Israel’s parliament the Gaza peace deal marks “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”.
Addressing the Knesset for more than an hour before signing the peace deal in Egypt on Monday afternoon, the US president said: “This is not only the end of a war.
“This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope, and of God.
“It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region. I believe that so strongly. This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
He added: “Against all odds, we have done the impossible, and brought our hostages home.”
Gaza deal latest: Trump heads to Egypt
The US president entered the Knesset to a two-minute standing ovation, before several members of the US and Israeli negotiating teams had their names read out to cheers and applause.
There was a particularly enthusiastic reaction for America’s envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who spearheaded the negotiations for the US president.
As Mr Trump heaped praise on Mr Witkoff, saying how he was a “great negotiator because he’s a great guy”, two left-wing Knesset members, Ayman Odeh and Ofer Kassif, heckled the president before being swiftly removed from the chamber.
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I’ve stopped eight wars in eight months
Mr Trump said he has now stopped eight wars in eight months, claiming his personality “is all about stopping wars” – in reference to Hillary Clinton previously saying he has a personality that’s all about war.
The president called the peace deal, agreed on Thursday, an “incredible triumph” for Israel and the world to have so many nations working together for peace, and said the US joins Israel in “two everlasting vows – never forget, and never again”.
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Mr Trump said “generations from now” this moment “will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change, and change very much for the better”.
“From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering and failure,” he said.
The “total focus” of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity and economic development, he said.
“At last, not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over, and as the dust settles, the smoke fades, the debris is removed and the ashes clear from the air,” he said.
During the lengthy speech, Mr Trump went off script, to much applause, as he called on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of corruption.
Trump, ‘the peace president’
Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump simply said “yes” when asked by Israeli media if the war with Hamas was over.
In the Knesset gallery, a few people were wearing red hats that said: “Trump, The Peace President.”
Knesset speaker Amir Ohana announced he and US speaker of the house Mike Johnson will “rally speakers and presidents” from around the world to submit a nomination for Mr Trump for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize, to which the president smiled broadly.
Trump ‘greatest friend Israel has’
Speaking ahead of the president, Mr Netanyahu said Mr Trump is “the greatest friend the state of Israel has had in the White House” and thanked him for the peace deal that returned all the remaining hostages.
He said the agreement “achieves all our objectives” and “opens the door to a historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond”.
Mr Netanyahu said he is “committed to this peace” as he admitted Israel has paid “a high price for this war”.
“But our enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is,” the Israeli PM added.
“They understand that attacking Israel on October 7th was a catastrophic mistake. They understand that Israel is strong and that Israel is here to stay.”
Just before Mr Trump addressed the Knesset, the remaining 20 living hostages – all men – were released by Hamas to Red Cross officials, the Israeli military said.
The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although timings remained unclear.
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Palestinians were also awaiting the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel as part of the peace agreement.
The peace deal comes two years after Hamas stormed Israel on October 7 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN deems reliable, and a famine has been declared in parts of the area.
