US President Donald Trump underscored America’s bond with Israel and reflected on the work he had done with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the two-year war, which came to a close after Israel and Hamas accepted the hostage-ceasefire deal he brokered, in an address at the Knesset’s plenum on Monday.
Trump was met with gratitude from Netanyahu, trumpet fanfare, and repeated standing ovations by ministers and the plenum audience in attendance throughout his speech.
The president landed in Israel as the first round of hostage releases by the terrorist organization was underway. He had arrived for a day visit to make the speech. Trump is the fourth US president to ever speak before the plenum.
'The hostages are back!'
“The hostages are back! It feels so good to say it,” Trump told the attendees. “Like the US right now, it will be the golden age for Israel.”
He added that “a lot of people said we were wasting our time” regarding a ceasefire agreement, but thanks to several “great American patriots, we achieved this.”
Countries working together toward peace under the Gaza agreement represent an “incredible triumph for Israel and the world,” Trump said.
Israel “has won all that can be won by force of arms,” he said, adding that it was time to translate what he described as “victories against terrorists” into peace and prosperity for the Middle East.
Further, his “personality is all about stopping wars,” the American president continued.
“Never forget and never again,” Trump said in reference to both Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the Holocaust, and the plenum erupted, granting him a standing ovation.
“The cruelty of October 7 struck the heart of humanity. The US mourned alongside Israel,” he said. “Because of us, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
Trump then praised Israel for its work in June’s Operation Rising Lion and highlighted the part the US played in striking Iranian nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer.
“We stopped the number one state sponsor of terror in obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapons. We took a big cloud off the Middle East and off of Israel,” Trump said to another round of applause, adding, “You know, it would be great if we could make a peace deal [with them].”
He also stated that “the dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel’s throat, has been shattered,” before returning to the subject of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
'What a victory it's been'
“The world wanted peace and Israel wanted peace, everybody did, and what a victory it’s been. The timing of this is brilliant,” Trump said as he thanked Netanyahu for “having the courage to end the war” when he did.
Moreover, Trump discussed expanding the Abraham Accords with the conclusion of the war, saying, “I hope all the countries we’re seeking join quickly – no games. It’s my firm hope and dream that the Abraham Accords will turn out to be everything that we thought they would.”
He called on Iran to strike a peace deal as well. “We are ready when you are, and it’s going to be the best decision that Iran ever made,” Trump said.
Netanyahu speaks
Netanyahu’s speech reflected his gratitude to Trump. He thanked the US president for recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and for standing up to “lies against Israel” at the United Nations.
He also thanked Trump for brokering the Abraham Accords in 2020, and for Operation Rising Lion and Operation Midnight Hammer, Israel’s and America’s respective airstrikes against Iran in June.
“Today, with the indispensable help of Trump, and the indescribable sacrifice of IDF soldiers, we are fulfilling the promise to bring all the hostages home,” Netanyahu said.
“Thanks to Trump’s unequivocal backing of Israel, we secured a second hostage deal within weeks of your election,” he added, addressing Trump directly.
“Just at that point of maximum pressure on Israel, Trump was elected president, and overnight, everything changed,” the prime minister said.
Netanyahu said that he nominated Trump to become the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, adding that “as to that other prize, it’s only a matter of time,” referring to the Nobel Peace Prize.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who began the addresses to the Knesset plenum and was followed by Netanyahu and by opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), said, “The world needs more Trumps!”
Ohana said he will work with US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to rally parliamentary presidents to nominate Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, noting that “there is no one more deserving.”
Lapid also called for Trump to receive the award.
Trump visited Netanyahu’s office in the Knesset ahead of the speech, where the president signed the parliament’s visiting book: “It is a great honor for me – this is a beautiful day, a new beginning.”
Both leaders met with freed hostages and hostage families afterward.
The Knesset was Trump’s only stop on the brief trip, which took place throughout Monday morning. He was set to return to Ben-Gurion Airport to depart from Israel at 1 p.m.
The three American presidents who addressed the Knesset in the past were Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994, and George W. Bush in 2008.
In preparation for Trump’s visit, the Knesset illuminated the building during the night with the colors of the Israeli and American flags, in blue, white, and red. It also designed a special logo for the occasion, to be displayed on screens in the building.
Highway 1, which goes from Ben-Gurion Airport to Jerusalem, was decorated with American and Israeli flags in honor of Trump’s arrival.
Trump was joined in the Knesset by senior officials from his administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, whom Trump thanked for all their efforts in reaching the ceasefire deal.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was also in attendance, receiving loud cheers from those in the plenum audience.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Maj.-Gen. (res.) David Zini, the National Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion also attended the event, as well as other notable Israeli and American officials.
“It’s a great day – a whole new beginning. There’s never been an event like it. It’s a great day,” Trump said. “I’m so happy for the hostages and their families,” he told reporters earlier, upon his arrival at the Knesset.•