Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu told Donald Trump that he would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize on Monday as the two leaders met for the first time since the U.S. counter-strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, a short-lived war between Israel and Iran.
Trump was expected to press Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Israel’s 21-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza amid an outcry over the humanitarian plight unfolding as a result of the offensive bombing that has led to nearly 60,000 civilian deaths, mostly of Palestinians.
Speaking to the reporters at the beginning of their meeting, Netanyahu said Israel is working with the United States to find countries that would give Palestinians a better future there. Netanyahu handed Trump a nomination letter during a meeting at the White House on Monday.
This right-wing leader said Mr. Trump was forging peace as we speak in one country and one region after the other. Organizers award the prize to the person who does the most for “fraternity between nations for their ambition for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
“Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” Mr Trump said while taking the nomination letter from Netanyahu.
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Mr. Trump took credit for stopping Iran and Israel’s 12-day war last month, announcing it with fanfare and truth social in the ceasefire, and the ceasefire has so far held. The president also had taken the claim of brokering a ceasefire deal between Pakistan and India in May this month.
“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to,” Mr Trump told reporters on Monday. “They want to talk.”
Iran, on the other side, hasn’t confirmed the move, but its president told U.S. press caster Tucker Carlson that he believes his country can resolve differences with the U.S. through dialogue. Massoud Pezeshkian also said Iran would be willing to resume cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
However, he said full access to nuclear sites wasn’t yet possible as U.S. strikes had damaged them so badly.