Trump Hails ‘New Age of Peace’ in Historic Knesset Address as Hostages Return Home

Declaring “the end of the age of terrorism,” US President Donald Trump delivered a triumphant address to the Israeli Knesset on Monday, celebrating the release of the final hostages from Hamas captivity and outlining a vision for a transformed Middle East. His historic speech came on a day of profound relief and emotion across Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid joined in praising the American president’s role in ending the long and arduous war.

The day began with President Trump’s arrival at the Knesset, where he was greeted by Speaker Amir Ohana before becoming the first sitting US president to address the Israeli parliament since 2008. Flanked by Prime Minister Netanyahu, his wife, and Speaker Ohana and his partner, Trump signed the Knesset guestbook with a thick, black sharpie.

“This is my great honor. A great and beautiful day, a new beginning,” he wrote.

Before addressing the plenum as the fourth US president ever to do so, Trump’s message was clear. “This was not only the end of the war, but of the age of terrorism and of the beginning of the age of peace and of God,” he stated.

Taking the podium, Trump called it a “great honor” to stand in Jerusalem, Israel’s “eternal capital,” on a day of thanksgiving to “the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
“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, praising the bravery of the 20 living hostages who were reunited with their families earlier in the day. “For so many Israelis, but also Palestinians, the nightmare is finally over.” He added that he has met with many of the hostage families “over the past three years,” calling it a great honor.

He expressed hope that “the region will live in peace for all eternity.” This moment, he declared, “is also the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.” He promised the start of an “age of concord” for Israel and its neighbors, calling it “the historic dawn of the new Middle East.”

The speech was briefly interrupted when MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Hadash-Ta’al party, was removed from the plenum for holding up a sign calling on Trump to “recognize Palestine.” His party colleague, MK Ofer Cassif, was also expelled for a similar protest. After their removal, Trump quipped, “That was very efficient,” before continuing.

In his address, Trump offered thanks to a wide array of figures. “I would like to thank an incredible man and patriot – Benjamin Netanyahu,” he said. “He is not the easiest man to deal with, but that’s what makes him so great.” He also credited the “leaders of the Arab nations, who gave us a lot of help in pressing Hamas to let the hostages return home.”
He gave personal thanks to his team, including special envoy Steve Witkoff—“he’s a great guy, and everybody loves him”—and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. “We also called in Jared, because we need his brain on occasion,” Trump said. “I would also like to thank Ivanka, my daughter, who loves Israel so much that she converted.” He lauded his cabinet members, saying Marco Rubio “will go down as the greatest secretary of state in the history of the United States,” and praised Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, noting, “We have now settled eight wars in eight months, because the hostages are back.”

Trump framed the peace as a direct result of a “peace through strength” doctrine. “My personality is all about stopping wars,” he said, noting he had “completely rebuilt the military.” He described providing Israel with advanced weaponry, saying, “Netanyahu would call asking for weapons, some of which I had never heard of before, but we got them for him. We gave them to Israel, which grew powerful and led to peace.”

He somberly recalled the conflict’s origins, “the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust,” and declared, “The people of Israel need to know that America joins you in the two simple vows – Never Forget and Never Again.”

The President detailed military operations he said were crucial to reaching this day, crediting the Israel Defense Forces and “Operation Rising Lion.” He described a US mission, “Operation Midnight Hammer,” in which B-2 bombers struck Iran. “Together we stopped the world’s number-one state sponsor of terrorism,” he asserted. “Without that, there would never have been this deal, if Iran had had the nuclear weapon they were two months from having… That attack took a big cloud off the Middle East and Israel. It was my honor to help.”

Looking ahead, Trump said, “This long and difficult war has now ended.” He outlined a regional plan where “Gaza will be demilitarized, Hamas disarmed, and Israel’s security never threatened again.”

He announced he would next travel to Egypt to meet with the leaders of “the most powerful and richest nations in the world,” who he said made the deal possible. Trump revealed his new role as chair of a “Board of Peace,” funded by Arab and Muslim nations to rebuild Gaza. “They have put up tremendous amounts of money. They want to see it work, be safe, and be good for Israel.”

Trump urged regional transformation, saying nations should “build infrastructure” instead of “fortresses” and invest in “industry and artificial intelligence” instead of missiles. He even extended an olive branch to Tehran: “Even to Iran… the hand of friendship is extended… I say to Iran, we are ready when you are, and it’s going to happen.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking afterwards, hailed it as a “momentous day, a day of great joy.” He said, “Today, with the indispensable help, the determined and focused help, the unremitting help, of President Trump and his team, and with the incredible sacrifice and courage of the soldiers of Israel, we are fulfilling that promise” to bring all hostages home.

Netanyahu cast Trump’s 2024 election victory as the critical turning point. He blasted foreign leaders who he said succumbed to “antisemitic mobs” and pressure to end the war prematurely. “Just at the point of maximum pressure on Israel, Trump was elected,” Netanyahu said. “Overnight, everything changed.” He thanked Trump for a proposal “that ends the war by achieving all our objectives” and “opens the door to an historic expansion of peace.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid was equally effusive in his praise, telling Trump he had “done the unimaginable.”

“Mr. President, you have saved the lives of our hostages. But you saved so much more… you have saved millions from the horrors of war,” Lapid declared. “When you were elected, you declared that you would be ‘the President of Peace.’ You have kept your word. The fact that you were not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is a grave mistake by the committee – but they will have no choice, Mr. President. They will have to award it to you next year.”

Lapid urged Trump to help broker a “next wave of peace” similar to the Abraham Accords, adding, “if there were one stock in the world I would invest in today, it would be the State of Israel.”

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who spearheaded negotiations, shared a more personal reflection. “It’s deeply gratifying to know that so many families will finally have their loved ones home,” he wrote on X. “But even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive. Bringing their bodies home is a must.”

He added, “I am profoundly grateful for the indomitable spirit of President Trump. This day would not have been possible without him.”
Trump called for Israel to pardon Netanyahu to allow the nation to move forward.

“The people of Israel have never given up,” Trump concluded. “We have confronted evil together, we have waged war together, and perhaps most beautiful of all, we have made peace together. We have done the impossible and brought our hostages home.”