IANS (Video grab courtesy: X/@WhiteHouse)
Tel Aviv, October 13 (IANS) US President Trump on Monday was greeted with a thunderous applause and a standing ovation by Israeli lawmakers as he arrived at a special session of the Knesset following the release of 20 hostages by Hamas, earlier in the day.
"This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East. 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,” Trump said.
Appreciating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “I want to express my gratitude to a man of exceptional courage and patriotism whose partnership did so much to make this momentous day possible. You know, who I’m talking about there’s only one: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Trump asked Netanyahu to stand up as the Knesset erupted in applause.
“And he is not easy, I want to tell you. I want to tell you he’s not the easiest guy to deal with, but that’s what makes him great,” Trump added, drawing laughter from the audience.
Meanwhile, speaking at the Knesset ahead of Trump's address, the Israeli Prime Minister heaped praise on the US President.
“At the beginning of the war, I promised to bring all the hostages home. Today, with the indispensable help, the determined and focused help, the unremitting help of President Trump ... and with the incredible sacrifice and courage of the soldiers of Israel, we are fulfilling that promise,” said Netanyahu.
“Two weeks ago, you succeeded in doing something miraculous, you succeeded in doing something that no one believed was possible: you brought most of the Arab world -- you brought most of the world -- behind your proposal to free the hostages and end the war,” he said, expressing gratitude to Trump.
“I've seen a lot of American Presidents ... I’ve never seen anyone move the world so quickly, so decisively, so resolutely as our friend President Donald J. Trump,” he added.
Netanyahu stated that Trump's peace proposal ends the war by achieving all the objectives and opens the door to a historic expansion of peace in the region and beyond.
He further said, “You are committed to this peace; I am committed to this peace. Together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”
Knesset members expelled after disrupting Trump speech at Israeli parliament
Two Knesset members on Monday were swiftly expelled by ushers as they tried to disrupt US President Donald Trump's address in the Israeli Parliament.
A few minutes after Trump began addressing the Knesset, the two members rose with signs held in their hands.
"That was very efficient of you", Trump praised the ushers who removed Knesset members Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif from the plenum hall after they held up signs during the president's speech.
The special session of the Knesset was being held in honour of the President of the USA on a day the Hamas released the remaining hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 attacks.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that 13 returning hostages were returned to Israel.
"People will remember this as the moment when everything started to change for the better. It will be the golden age of Israel and the Middle East," Trump said while also thanking the Arab countries that helped sign the peace deal.
Trump received a standing ovation at the Knesset address following the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier in the day, Hamas announced that it would release 20 "living Israeli captives" in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
"The agreement reached is the fruit of the steadfastness of our people and the resilience of its resistance fighters, and we announce our commitment to the agreement reached and the related timelines as long as the occupation adheres to it," Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
"The occupation could have returned most of its captives alive many months ago, but it continued to stall," it added.
