Trump Delivers Knesset Speech in Israel After Last Living Hostages Released

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday to a warm welcome, from banners on the beach near Tel Aviv to a standing ovation in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, where his personal and pivotal role in bringing home the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages was warmly thanked by families, military service members and many – though not all – Israeli politicians.

Trump’s whirlwind trip to Israel began with a meeting with families of former hostages in Jerusalem. Hamas released all 20 surviving prisoners early Monday, before Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The exchange was part of an existing ceasefire, but Trump hopes it will be the first step in a comprehensive peace agreement that defines the future of the Gaza Strip and disarms Hamas.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday to a warm welcome, ranging from banners on the beach near Tel Aviv to a standing ovation in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, where he was speaker. A personal and pivotal role The repatriation of the last 20 Israeli hostages alive has been greatly thanked by families, military service members and many – though not all – Israeli politicians.

Trump’s whirlwind trip to Israel began with a meeting with families of former hostages in Jerusalem. Hamas released all 20 surviving prisoners early Monday, before Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The exchange was part of an existing ceasefire, but Trump hopes it will be the first step in a comprehensive peace agreement that defines the future of the Gaza Strip and disarms Hamas.

First of all, there was a farewell speech, a well-deserved one, as the ceasefire continued, the hostages returned to their homes, and chants echoed from Khan Yunis, in the devastated Gaza Strip, to Tel Aviv in complete unison.

What was also consistent were the messages that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump delivered to the Knesset. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu declared on Monday that “Israel did what it had to do,” a tidy summation of a two-year war that flattened most of Gaza, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee, and killed, by official estimates, at least 67,000 Palestinians. Trump used the same words to describe his peace credentials and the strength of the US military: “We have to do what we have to do.”

Trump continued: “America joins you in these two eternal covenants: never to forget, and never to forget again.”

Trump made clear that he expects Netanyahu to adhere to this ceasefire. While traveling to Israel, he told reporters on Air Force One that “the war is over.” Although Israeli forces will only undertake a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as part of Trump’s peace plan, renewed hostilities at this stage would be a direct slap in the face of the president, whom Netanyahu described as “the greatest friend the State of Israel has ever had in the White House.”

The solemnity and historic nature of the day, whether at the Re’im military base where hostages were first repatriated through the auspices of the International Red Cross or the charismatic treatment Trump received at Ben Gurion Airport, is indelible. What also could not be erased was the aggressive nature of Netanyahu’s statements before the Knesset, in which he described the battle between civilization and barbarism. Later, Trump described his negotiating interlocutors as “monsters.”

Trump, in his typically stumbling speech, praised his negotiating team, including Steve Witkoff, as well as Gen. Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but also found time to delve into Israeli politics. He asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu Under indictment On various charges related to corruption and irregularities, his government may not continue until the elections scheduled for next fall.

However, not everyone in attendance was thrilled with Trump’s presence. As the American President spoke, two Members of the Knesset– Ayman Odeh, an Arab-Israeli politician and head of the left-wing Hadash party, and Ofer Kassif, a party member – organized protests and raised banners reading “Recognize Palestine” before security quickly removed them.

Regardless of the theatrics of Trump’s visit to Israel, the heavy lifting will begin later Monday at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, which Trump will attend with more than 20 world leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; But Netanyahu There won’t be. And it won’t Iran’s leadersWhich Egypt called.

On the agenda is Very pressing questions About this peace agreement: How to disarm Hamas, as this armed group has already begun Take back control The areas that will be evacuated by the withdrawing Israeli army; How to form a practical governance structure for the Gaza Strip designed to exclude the only formation that won any elections there; How do we begin the arduous and costly process of rebuilding a place that is mostly rubble and ruin?

But for now, Trump has achieved his victory. As Netanyahu said while nominating Trump for Israel’s highest honor, the Israel Prize, he may not win “the other prize” — a reference to the Nobel Peace Prize — but that day may come. maybe.