President Trump on Monday addressed the Knesset in Israel as he visited the Middle East to mark the beginning of a peace accord to end the fighting in Gaza.
Trump spoke for more than an hour in Jerusalem as celebrations took place in the streets outside after Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages taken during the October 2023 terrorist attacks.
The president’s remarks touched on his vision for the Middle East and his support for Israel. Trump also waded into Israeli politics and was subject to a brief protest from two lawmakers in the Knesset.
Here are five notable moments from his speech.
Trump tells Israel it ‘won all that they can’
The president told Israel’s lawmakers that it was time to turn its focus from a grueling military campaign in Gaza to embracing peace and cooperation with others in the region.
“Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms. You’ve won. Now, it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East. It’s about time you were able to enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Trump said in prepared remarks.
Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would be remembered “far more” for accepting the peace agreement than had he carried on with his military campaign.
“If you would have gone on for three, four more years, fighting, fighting, fighting — It was getting bad. It was getting heated,” Trump said. “The timing of this is brilliant. I said, ‘Bibi you’re going to be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill.’”
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has come under international scrutiny as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and watchdog groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Trump has generally been publicly supportive of Israel’s military campaign, even as he has expressed some concern about starvation in Gaza.
Israeli leaders used their remarks to push back on the criticisms of their military campaign. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said there was “no genocide, no intentional starvation.” Netanyahu criticized other world leaders without naming them, saying they had been “bought into Hamas’s false propaganda.”
Trump calls on Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu
In a moment of favor for the Israeli premier, Trump turned to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and requested a pardon be issued for Netanyahu to avoid trial on three charges alleging bribery, breach of trust and fraud.
“Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon,” Trump said from the podium, turning to Herzog.
“Cigars and some champagne – who the hell cares?” Trump quipped, poking fun at the details surrounding Netanyahu allegedly accepting bribes in luxury goods in exchange for political favors.
It was not the first time Trump had issued the call for Netanyahu’s pardon, making a similar demand in a TruthSocial post in June.
Netanyahu has been criticized as keeping up Israel’s war against Hamas as a means to stay in power and avoid trial, delaying court proceedings on diplomatic and security grounds.
The Israeli leader, who has pleaded not guilty, is expected to take the witness stand on Wednesday as part of the trial.
Lawmakers expelled from chamber after interruption
The only moment of unrest came about 20 minutes into Trump’s remarks, when two lawmakers were expelled from the plenum after shouting and holding up papers declaring “Recognize Palestine.”
The protesters were Aymen Odeh, an Arab Israeli and member of the Hadash alliance and Ofer Cassif, a far-left politician who is also a member of the Hadash coalition.
Odeh later said in a social media post on X that he is calling for recognition of a Palestinian state as “the simplest demand, a demand that the entire international community agrees on… There are two peoples here, and neither is going anywhere.”
Cassif also posted on X that their protest was “to demand justice,” accusing the Israeli government of occupation and apartheid against Palestinians.
Lawmakers rose to applaud as two lawmakers were escorted out.
“That was very efficient,” Trump said, before returning to his remarks.
Protests over the situation in Gaza became commonplace at Democratic events during the 2024 campaign, but Trump has largely not been subject to the same type of outcry from demonstrators over the war.
Trump offers olive branch to Iran
Trump took a conciliatory tone when speaking about future relations with Iran, a notable sentiment given the setting and the long-standing hostilities between Israel and Iran.
“Even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and cooperation is open,” Trump said. “I’m telling you, they want to make a deal.”
Trump used a lengthy aside during his speech to recount the Israeli military operation earlier this year that killed multiple top Iranian leaders, as well as the U.S. strikes that hit three key Iranian nuclear facilities. He criticized former President Barack Obama over the Iran nuclear deal that offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.
Still, Trump returned to the idea that the U.S. and Tehran could strike some type of agreement that would end hostilities and benefit the people of Iran.
“There’s nothing that would do more good for this part of the world than for Iran’s leaders to renounce terrorists, stop threatening their neighbors, quit funding their militant proxies and finally recognize Israel’s right to exist,” Trump said. “And to Iran…We are ready when you are, and it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made.”
It was similar to the message Trump delivered during a May visit to Saudi Arabia, when he said he would be happy to make a deal with Iran, while warning of “maximum pressure” if no truce was reached.
Trump praises opposition leaders, tells Netanyahu he can be ‘nicer’ now
Even as Trump went to bat for Netanyahu over his criminal trial, he needled the long-serving prime minister during his speech, saying that with the end of the war, “You can be a little big nicer Bibi, because you’re not at war anymore Bibi.”
Trump turned to Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and heaped some praise on him, “you’re a nice guy.”
The exchange marked another chapter of Trump’s push-and-pull relationship with Netanyahu, criticizing the Israeli leader with an expletive in 2020 after Netanyahu recognized President Biden’s election victory. Trump also forced Netanyahu to publicly apologize to Qatar after carrying out military strikes against Hamas officials in the country.
But Trump told reporters ahead of his speech at the Knesset that any disagreements he had with Netanyahu were often resolved quickly.
During his speech, Trump described Netanyahu: “He’s not the easiest guy to deal with, that’s what makes him great.”
