Netanyahu Commends Trump for Establishing Diplomatic Relations with Arab Nations

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel extolled President Trump for his instrumental role in establishing diplomatic relations with several Arab nations.

However, President Trump’s support of Israeli actions has occasionally strained these newfound ties.

Trump Hosts Netanyahu at the White House

During a dinner, the two leaders deliberated on matters concerning Gaza and Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu astonished Trump by nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Thank you very much, everyone. It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is richly deserved. You ought to receive it.” “Thank you very much. This comes as a surprise. I’d like to see Iran rebuild itself peacefully.

They were once the bully of the Middle East, but now they are no longer.”

During the dinner, the two leaders deliberated on matters concerning Gaza and Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu astonished Trump by nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Credit…Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

On Tuesday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel unveiled the letter in which he nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting his “pivotal role” in negotiating diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations in 2020.

The letter seemed to be part of Mr. Netanyahu’s endeavor to solidify relations with Mr. Trump during a White House visit.

“President Trump has demonstrated unwavering and exceptional commitment to fostering peace, security, and stability worldwide,” Mr. Netanyahu expressed in the letter dated July 1, addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which bestows the prize.

At a White House dinner on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu presented Mr. Trump with a copy of the letter and lauded his host for “forging peace, as we speak, in one nation in the region after another.”

The president, who has openly expressed his desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, appeared genuinely surprised.

The letter stated that Mr. Trump had “created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization” in the Middle East. Since assuming office in January, Mr. Trump has endorsed Israel’s military operations in Gaza and collaborated with Israel by deploying U.S. bombers to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Critics of the president have contended that his diplomatic accomplishments are insufficient to merit serious consideration for the prize, suggesting that nominating him is a tactic by governments to gain favor. Pakistan announced in June that it had decided to nominate Mr. Trump for the prize due to his diplomacy in halting hostilities between India and Pakistan earlier this year.

Mr. Netanyahu’s letter also highlighted Mr. Trump’s involvement in the 2020 Abraham Accords during his first term, which established formal diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The accords represented a diplomatic triumph for Israel, partly because the Arab nations abandoned their longstanding precondition that relations with Israel could only be established following the creation of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Trump has endeavored to persuade Saudi Arabia to join the accords, but this effort has stalled partly due to Arab discontent over the conflict in Gaza. It suffered another setback in January when he proposed relocating all 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza out of the territory and reconstructing it as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” an idea that Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations rejected.

If the Nobel committee were to consider Mr. Trump’s nomination, it is improbable that it would do so for this year’s prize. Nominations closed in January, and the committee has registered 338 entries.

Mr. Trump has longed for the prize for years and has cited the fact that he has not yet received it as evidence that his accomplishments are insufficiently acknowledged.

“I won’t receive a Nobel Peace Prize regardless of my endeavors,” he remarked in a social media post last month, enumerating several diplomatic initiatives he believes should qualify him for consideration.

Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based journalist on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news.