US President Donald Trump on Monday told the Israeli parliament that the ceasefire he helped broker in the Gaza war had ushered in the "historic dawn of a new Middle East."
"And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity," he said.
"This is not only the end of a war... This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East."
Trump received several standing ovations from Israeli lawmakers as he prepared to give a speech after meeting with the families of Israeli captives released by Hamas on Monday.
The Israeli army has confirmed that all living captives held by Hamas in Gaza were released into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday. The captives were freed in two batches, with seven released earlier in the day.
However, Trump's speech was briefly interrupted by left-wing lawmaker Ayman Odeh, who called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, a long-standing demand that experts believe to be crucial for the stability of the region.
Before his protest at the parliament, Ayman Odeh wrote on X, "The amount of hypocrisy in the plenum is unbearable. To crown Netanyahu through flattery the likes of which has never been seen, through an orchestrated group, does not absolve him and his government of the crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, nor of the responsibility for the blood of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian victims and thousands of Israeli victims."
"But only because of the ceasefire and the overall deal am I here. Only ending the occupation, and only recognising the State of Palestine alongside Israel, will bring justice, peace, and security to all," he wrote.
"That was very efficient," Trump quipped as the MP was quickly taken out.
Describing his 20-point peace proposal for Gaza as a "triumph," Trump thanked mediators from the Arab and Muslim world.
"Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home," Trump said.
"We had a lot of help, we had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn't suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that. It's an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace."
The US President, while addressing the Knesset, also called for a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing multiple court cases in which he stands accused of corruption.
"Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?" Trump joked, declaring Netanyahu as one of Israel's greatest wartime leaders.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, such as cigars, jewellery and champagne, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
"Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President (Isaac Herzog), why don't you give him a pardon?" Trump said.
"By the way, that was not in the speech, as you probably know. But I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense, you know."
Further showering praising upon his ally, Trump asked Netanyahu to be "a little nicer" since the war is over.
"Now you can be a bit nicer, Bibi, because you’re not at war,” Trump told the Israeli prime minister with a smile as the Knesset once again broke into applause.
Trump also expressed hope that a peace deal would be signed with Iran.
"We are ready when you are...It will be the best decision that Iran has ever made, and it's gonna happen," he said.
'Greatest friend, giant of Jewish history'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday described President Trump as the "greatest friend" Israel has ever had in the White House.
"Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for Israel," Netanyahu said in parliament ahead of Trump's address to lawmakers.
Netanyahu, in his speech to parliament, also praised Israel's soldiers, claiming the country had "achieved amazing victories over Hamas."
He further said that Israel could pursue new "peace treaties" with Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East and beyond under Trump's leadership.
"Under your leadership, we can forge new peace treaties with Arab countries in the region and Muslim countries beyond the region," Netanyahu said, adding that "no one wants peace more than the people of Israel."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu greeted Trump on the tarmac as a military band played. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the site of continuous demonstrations during two years of war, the crowd cheered for Trump.
Amir Ohana, the Knesset speaker, welcomed Trump to the parliament by saying, “We’ve been longing for this day.” Some people in the gallery wore red hats that said ”Trump, The Peace President."
Ohana went on to call Trump a "giant of Jewish history," comparing him to Cyrus the Great, who allowed Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the Second Temple in the sixth century BCE.
“What the world needs now is not appeasers who feed the crocodile in the hope that they will be eaten last, like we have seen at the UN General Assembly,” Ohana said. “What the world needs now are more leaders who are brave, resolute, strong, and bold. The world needs more Trumps.”
In another flattering move, Ohana announced that Israel will rally support from legislative leaders across the world to submit Trump's candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.
“There was not a single person on this planet who did more than you to advance peace. No one even came close,” he said. “Through your strength of character and unwavering resolve, you brought an end to bloody conflicts in no fewer than eight regions across the globe. In less than nine months, you became one of the most consequential presidents in history.”
Trump was in Israel on Monday to celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before continuing on to Egypt for a key summit that he hopes will solidify an end to the war and pave the way for a more durable peace in the Middle East.
There was talk of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining Trump in Egypt, along with more than two dozen other leaders. Egypt even announced his attendance after Netanyahu spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
However, Netanyahu's office said later that he would not be going because the summit was too close to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
