Trump declares ‘Golden Age of the Middle East’ in speech to Israeli Knesset

President Donald Trump thanked Israeli lawmakers for their enthusiastic reception in the Knesset on Monday as the country celebrated the release of 20 live hostages from Hamas captivity.

“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages return to the glorious arms of their families,” Trump said. “Twenty-eight more loved ones finally return home to rest on this sacred land forever. And after so many years of incessant war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are silent, and the sun rises over a Holy Land finally at peace.”

Trump received a warm welcome from the Israeli Knesset, which declared him “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana pledged to join House Speaker Mike Johnson and other legislative leaders around the world to nominate Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

“You, President Trump, are a colossus who will be inscribed in the pantheon of history. Thousands of years from now, the Jewish people will remember you. We are a nation that remembers,” Ohana said, comparing Trump to Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC and allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland.

HAMAS AGREES TO TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN, ENDING 2 YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA AND RETURNING HOSTAGES

US President Donald Trump (L) receives a standing ovation before speaking at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, October 13, 2025. ((Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))

TRUMP UNVEILS 20-POINT PLAN TO ENSURE PEACE IN GAZA, INCLUDING GRANTING AMNESTY TO SOME MEMBERS OF HAMAS

Ohana praised Trump’s efforts to rescue hostages held by Hamas as well as to combat Iran’s nuclear program and its influence in the Middle East. He also praised Trump for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018.

President Donald Trump arrives to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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“Donald Trump is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for Israel than this one, and as I said in Washington, it’s not even close,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also nominated Trump to receive the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest honor. Trump would be the first non-Israeli citizen to receive the award.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.