US President Donald Trump told Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday that “this is not only the end of war, but the end of an era of terror and death and the beginning of an era of faith and hope.”
Trump spoke to emotional scenes as the twenty remaining Israeli hostages returned to their families.
Flanked by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Trump received a standing ovation and a trumpet salute. As Netanyahu – a member of the legislative body – took his seat in the audience, Herzog and Ohana joined Trump on stage. Several red “Make America Great Again” hats were visible in the gallery among the audience.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support for Israel over the years – a “partial list” that included his role in the hostage deal; To recognize Israeli rights in Judea and Samaria, to the Abraham Accords, and to oppose Iran’s nuclear ambitions and attack Iran’s nuclear sites. Netanyahu said: “Donald Trump is the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
Netanyahu praised Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, calling it “a proposal that ends the war by achieving all of our objectives, a proposal that opens the door to expanding peace in our territory and beyond our territory.”
Ohana called Trump “a giant of Jewish history”, praising him for ensuring that “America First” was not “America Alone”. Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support, saying he had nominated the president for the Israel Prize, which has never been given to a non-Israeli.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said there had never been a “genocide” in Gaza, and that liberal critics of Israel had been duped into supporting Islamic terror.
Trump began his remarks by thanking God — the God of “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
“After so many years of constant war and endless danger…the sun rises on a sacred land that is finally at peace.”
He said: “This will be the golden age of Israel and the golden age of the Middle East.”
Trump thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “He’s not an easy man to deal with, but that’s what makes him great,” he said. He also thanked countries in the Arab and Muslim world for pressuring Hamas to accept the deal and praised his negotiators, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
At the time, the hecklers – invisible up to that point – apparently interrupted Arab parties, some of which have extremist positions, and which are still freely elected in democratic Israel. He was immediately thrown out.
“It was very effective,” Trump joked, as the Knesset chanted “Trump! Trump! Trump!” The slogan echoed.
The president, while thanking his son-in-law Jared Kushner, once again joked that he loves Israel so much that his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism. He quipped that he did not expect this to happen.
He praised Kushner’s role in the Abraham Accords, saying he liked the Hebrew pronunciation, “Avraham”.
Trump also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling him the greatest person to hold that position in history. He recalled their 2016 rivalry: “That was tough, it was bad. Who thought it was going to be like this, right, Marco?”
He also praised Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, noting that the new, reinstated title – as opposed to the “Secretary of Defense” title – was linked to victory.
He said he preferred to avoid war, but if the US was forced into war, he would fight without being “politically correct”.
Trump also recalled the horror of October 7 and praised “the incredible skill and bravery of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).” He recalled “Operation Midnight Hammer” and praised Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Daniel “Raisin” Kane, who graciously stood to accept a standing ovation.
The president talked about attacking Iran — and drew applause when he suggested the possibility of a peace deal with Iran, saying that that country’s leaders could agree. “They want to survive,” he said.
Trump was surprised by the universal joy at the end of the war. Praising the prospects for peace, he said, “They are dancing in the streets of countries that would never have danced in the streets about what is happening today.”
“You won, by force of arms,” Trump told the Knesset. Now is the time to convert military victory into peace and prosperity, he said.
He joked that opposition leader Yair Lapid was “a nice guy”, adding: “Now you can be a little nicer, Bibi, because you’re not at war anymore.”
He chided Netanyahu and Ohana for giving long speeches, saying he felt he had to say a few words and then immediately leave for Egypt, where he is meeting world leaders for a summit on Gaza after the war.
“I’ll be too late. They won’t be there by the time I get there.”
He put the ceasefire in the context of his accomplishments across the two administrations – the defeat of ISIS, and the Abraham Accords, and more.
“Peace is not just a hope – it is a reality we can count on.” Because of that, he said, the Middle East was ready “to embrace its historic potential.”
Jihadism and anti-Semitism have “rebounded” on the societies that gave rise to them, he said, adding that they “served not to weaken Israel but to dismantle the forces that did most to incite this hatred.”
In contrast, Arab and Muslim nations that embraced peace and the Abraham Accords benefited and prospered as a result. “They get along with Israel and they are doing very well.”
He praised Israel’s progress – “Think what you have done; it is incredible!” – and said that “the world is loving Israel again.”
He said that “the choice for Palestinians could not be clearer” and that they must reject “terror and violence”. He said he has met with Palestinians in recent months “who want to see this happen.”
He praised the “peace board” in his peace plan for Gaza, saying that despite the fact that he was busy, he would devote the territory’s “incredible power and money” to rebuilding Gaza after the war.
He said that when Israel and other countries can put war aside, and apply their “talent” to creation and prosperity, the future will be limitless. He praised the first four Arab and Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – for their courage, and said others should join the accord and achieve success “beyond anyone’s dreams”.
Trump took the unusual step of criticizing his predecessors, Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, for their approach. “There was hatred toward Israel – it was complete hatred.” He said that Netanyahu had tried to persuade Obama not to make a nuclear deal with Iran. “It was like talking to a wall,” Trump said. He said he was “proud” to conclude the deal – but added that the arms of friendship were open “to Iran as well”.
He welcomed the possibility of future peace talks with Iran, saying, “We are ready when you are ready.”
When he suggested that Israel’s formal head of state, President Isaac Herzog, grant amnesty to Netanyahu, who is still on trial on trumped-up charges of minor corruption, he drew laughter and applause.
Trump concluded by celebrating Jerusalem as the home of the world’s great religions, and praised Israel’s continued faith in God over generations. “That’s why the people of Israel never gave up,” Trump said. “You want the promise of Zion, you want the promise of success and hope and love and God.”
He praised US-Israel relations, saying that together the two partners had achieved the impossible – this week, by bringing the hostages home.
“We are going to build a future that is worthy of our legacy,” Trump said. He concluded, “I love Israel – I am with you every step of the way. You will be bigger, better, stronger and more loved than ever before.
“God bless you, God bless the United States, and God bless the Middle East.”
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor and host at Breitbart News breitbart news sunday Sundays from 7PM to 10PM ET (4PM to 7PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of The Zionist conspiracy wants you, Now available on Amazon. He is the winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpollak,
