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President Trump declared that the cease-fire in Gaza is the “end of an age of terror and death” and an “historic dawn of a new Middle East” in an impassioned address to Israel’s governing body on Monday.
The commander in chief, who spoke for over an hour, said Israel “won all that they can by force of arms” and delivered a powerful message to the Palestinian people as they look to rebuild their war-torn territory after two years of intense fighting that was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack.
Trump received a thunderous standing ovation as he was introduced to the Knesset, just hours after the remaining living hostages were freed by Hamas.
As Israelis celebrated the return of loved ones they’ve missed for more than 700 days, Trump joined in on the hope and jubilation.
“This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God,” Trump roared, as he spoke in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders.
“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 paid homage to the 20 living hostages who finally reunited with family and friends after two years of being held captive in cramped tunnels with little food.
The president also remembered the 28 slain hostages whose bodies are expected to be returned in the coming days and weeks, as part of the breakthrough peace deal brokered between Hamas and Israel.
“After two harrowing years and darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families, and it is glorious,” Trump said.
“Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time,” he continued.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today, the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still.”
The hostages’ freedom and halt in the fierce fighting in Gaza is phase one of the 20-point Trump-brokered peace agreement. In return, Israel released thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
The next phase of the peace deal, which includes the disarmament of Hamas and setting up a transitional government led by an international body in Gaza, could prove trickier.
As the two-year war dragged on and Gaza faced devastation and a rising death toll, international pressure on the Jewish state heightened. But Trump made clear that in the end, Israel pulled through victorious.
“So Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” the 47th president said.
“You’ve won. I mean, you’ve won. Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and security for the entire Middle East.”
Trump also had a message for the Palestinian people as they look ahead.
“The choice for Palestinians could not be more clear, this is their chance to turn forever from the path of terror and violence — it’s been extreme — to exile the wicked forces of hate that are in their midst,” he said.
Israeli leaders showered praise on Trump leading up to his remarks, arguing the president deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize for his major role in the cease-fire deal.
Red hats were also passed around the governing body that read “Trump, the peace president.”
Trump’s address was briefly disrupted when a far-left Israeli politician was forcibly thrown out for causing a ruckus.
Ofer Cassif, a member of parliament from the extreme left-wing Hadash party, began shouting while Trump was praising his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, for his part bringing “peace in the Middle East.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what Cassif was yelling, but he was quickly expelled from the chamber to cheers from the majority of other lawmakers.
Security also went over to another Knesset member and removed him.
Trump took the brouhaha in stride and also lightened the mood during his wide-ranging speech that also touched on his greatest accomplishments dating back to his first term, including the Abrams Accord, taking on Islamic terrorism and pulling out of former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
He noted his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, who was on hand for the speech, converted to Judaism when she married Jared Kushner.
Kushner was instrumental in helping achieve the peace deal with Witkoff, who was also in attendance.
“And she is so happy, and they are so happy, at least, I think they’re happy,” he joked. “If they’re not, we have a big story right now.”
Trump also went out of his way to encourage Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant a pardon to Netanyahu of his bribery charge in one of a few off-scripted moments the energetic president is known for.
“By the way, that wasn’t in the speech, as you probably know, but I happen to like this gentleman right over here,” Trump quipped. “It just seems to make so much sense.”
This was Trump’s first time in Israel since the start of his second term. He is the first US president to address the Knesset since George W. Bush in 2008.
Before his address, he met with the families of the hostages in a touching moment captured by one of his aides.
“Together, and perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together, and this week, against all odds, we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home,” Trump said during his Knesset address.
“So now we’re going to forge a future that is worthy of our heritage. We’re going to build a legacy that all the people of this region can be proud of.”
