TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Addresses the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem, 10.13.25

[Video]

Amir Ohana: [Via Translator] Please sit down. Knesset members. Today is Monday, uh, 13th of October, 2025, and I'm, uh, intending to open the special session of the Knesset in honor of the President of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. Dear Knesset members, I would like to remind you that this is a special session and therefore there will be no disturbances and whoever will disturb the session will be expelled from the session and there will be no warning and it is allowed to, uh, applaud in this session. Uh, the Honorable Mr. Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal. The Prime Minister, uh, Benjamin Netanyahu his spouse, Sara. The head of the opposition, uh, Mr. Lapid and his wife, Lihi. Ministers and Knesset members. Special recognition to Minister Ron Dermer, who led the negotiation team on behalf of Israel. Thank you, Ron.

Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain. Two key players, President Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is here with his partner, Lauren. And Jared Kushner, who is here with his wife, Ivanka. And thank you guys for everything that you have done to bring about this day. Ambassador of the United States to Israel. My dear friend and my absolute favorite rock star, Mike Huckabee.

Unidentified: Do we have Janet? I don't see Janet.

Unidentified: No, Janet's not in.

Unidentified: Janet's not here, okay.

Ohana: [In Hebrew, no translation]

Ohana: [Via Translator] Ambassadors and the mayor of, of Jerusalem, Mr. Lapid and the first team of the government. The heads of the states and those who are here. The, Eyal Zamir, the chief of staff. Uh, the head of the police, Daniel Levy. The head of the prisons, Jacobi, Mr. Jacobi. He's those, one of those who is in [Inaudible] -- Mr. Eyal Kaspi, the head of the fire. The head of the Mossad, Mr. David Barnea. The head of the, um, uh, General Zini, the head of the general security. Great success to you. The head, Mr. Gal Hirsch, the head of the headquarters for the abductees. Mayors and the local authorities, the chairman of the Knesset, who brought about a visit in wha- -- three days.

Wh- -- ch- -- it usually takes three months, Mr. Itzik Edri. The Secretary of the Knesset, um, the legal counsel of the Knesset. The, and the head of the Knesset. Members of the management of the Knesset, families of the bereaves, families of the abductees. The head, uh, great honorees, uh, and I am exempt the others from, uh, mentioning them there. And the citizens of Israel, I had the special honor to bless together with you, the best friend of that Israel ever had in the White House. Welcome to Israel. Welcome to the Knesset, the President Donald J. Trump Mr. President, I would like to thank you that you granted the Knesset, the honored that it is the first parliament that you are visiting in your present term.

In the Jewish tradition we are used to bless you, the one who gives us the honor. Thank you very much. Mr. President, President Trump. Honorary president, 2000 years ago, we were exiled from our homeland, but in all the diaspora that we lived by, we never forgot Jerusalem. The beating heart of the Jewish people wa- -- since it's, uh, n- -- for which we prayed for year after year. And seven years ago, it was you President Trump, that in the name of the United States, of the United States, you recognized, uh, Jerusalem as the capital of Jerusalem. You executed the, a promise that many other presidents promised. You've transferred the, the embassy to Jerusalem. Thank you very much, President Trump.

Thank you very much, President Trump. In the, uh, dawn of its, uh, establishment, Israel was forced to fight, but it always extended its hand to peace. Seven years ago, you led the Abraham Accords and I had the ho- -- the privilege, uh, to serve in this, uh, government that signed it. And- and it was very meaningful for me because two, two and a half years ago, I was the first head of the Knesset that was invited to speak in a parliament of, uh, Arab country. And it was in the s- -- uh, country of Moro- -- Morocco where my parents came from. You, m- uh, you made its relationship closer in- in accord that it's peace for peace. Thank you very much, President Trump. Many years before your first term already in 2011, you identified this danger of, uh, nuclear, uh, Iran -- Our nation's national security interests, we can't allow Iran to go nuclear.

Your, uh, continued that you put America first, but not alone, but not America alone. Do you brought with you to the, uh, White House in your two terms. Four months a- -- four months ago after Prim- -- Prime Minister started Rising Lion, you, you started the Midnight Hammer, which was a very brave action, that there was nothing like it until you arrived at the White House. And thus, Mr. President, you prevented a, uh, nuclear holocaust that Iran wanted to bring about to the world, a country in its parliament, its elected officials cry, "Death to America and death to Israel." And today we can say to the Ayatollah's rule in the, "Iran will not have nuclear power." Thank you, thank you, President Trump.

Mr. President, today, uh, the Jewish people are ending the, uh, holiday of Sukkot and tomorrow it'll be Simchat Torah. And, uh, two years ago in Simchat Torah, it was the most difficult day for the state of Israel since its establishment and for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Many times I came with many visitors to the area of the slaughter and I saw the horrors. And few weeks after the 7th of October, I accompanied Jared and Ivanka that who came to those difficult areas. We saw what we, we were in Kfar Aza, and we saw what we hoped that we will never see again. Horrible sights of pogroms, children, men and women and the elderly, they're -- are no longer there. The Satan not only murdered and raped and many of our brothers and sisters, and he also abducted the live and the dead.

And since then, this has been the l- -- longest and the most just war. This wound of our brothers in prison is, has been when all the nation of Israel has been in pain of the families of the abducted. Until this morning, for two years, uh, in the gallery where the people -- the guests are sitting, w- -- we had photos of the hostages. But this morning towards this historical day, we were able to remove the photos and I will do something spontaneous and I will remove the pin of that I received from Tzvika Mor. I am removing it because a minute ago I spoke to Tzvika Mor's brother and they are celebrating this unification. Thank you so much, President Trump. Thank you so much, President Trump.

[In English] Another American president, but as a giant of Jewish history, one for whom we must look back two and a half millennia into the mists of time to find a parallel: Cyrus the Great. You, President Donald J. Trump, are a colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history. Thousands of years from now, Mr. President, the Jewish people will remember you. We are a nation that remembers. Far from being a local struggle, what we are witnessing is a global struggle, a global battle between the forces of extremism, radicalism and fundamentalism, and those of freedom, liberty and democracy. What the world needs now is not appeasers who feed the crocodile in the hope that they will be eaten last, like the kind we have seen recently at the UN General Assembly.

And by the way, President Trump, your team has checked the teleprompter, is, it is working beautifully. What the world needs, what the world needs now are more leaders who are brave, resolute, strong and bold. The world needs more Trumps. Mr. President, with your permission, I would like to take this moment to address Prime Minister Netanyahu. [Via Translator] Mr. Minister, you, ih, you, the last few years, you faced great pressures. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy that fought with, along with you to return the hostages said about you, "The most difficult work was that of the Prime Minister." It was the Prime Minister who had to make, to take harder decisions, how much we have to be hard towards Hamas and when we have to be more moderate.

But the tres- -- the truth now that, looking backwards, whe- -- we wouldn't have reached this point if the Prime Minister Netanyahu wouldn't have acted the way he acted. Also, my pres- -- my, also, my President, uh, Trump, believe it, believes that the Prime Minister Netanyahu made hard decisions, and there were people who would've been less brave who wouldn't have made these decisions. We are here today because the Hamas did not have an alternative. So says Witkoff, "The pressure was great, and therefore we progressed immensely, and this is what brought about this agreement." This is what the Envoy Witkoff has stated. Mr. Prime Minister yesterday in, on his way to Israel, the President Trump, that you are the right person at the right time, and I'm proud to say here in front of the whole world that thanks to you, we agr- -- we achieved great, the great things that we have achieved.

Thank you so much, Mr. Prime Minister. This day today, and we will thank from the hurt depths of our heart to the brave soldiers of the IDF, of the Israeli Defense Forces -- We will thank to the IDF, brave soldiers who fought like lions and endangered their lives in order to protect the state of Israel. Many of them sacrificed the lives for the country that bows its head. Their blood was not, uh, did not die in vain because with their heroism, they brought this state and their names will be inscribed forever in the hearts of the nation.

Amir Ohana 00:16:25-00:16:54 (29 sec)

[In English] There was not a single person on this planet who did more than you to advance peace. No one even came close. Your election to the presidency marked a turning point, not only for the United States, but for the entire world. Through your, through your strength of character and unwavering resolve, you brought an end to bloody conflicts in no fewer than eight regions across the globe. In less than nine months, you became one of the most consequential presidents in history. You saved countless lives that would've been lost without your leadership. And as our sages teach, whoever saves one life, it is as though he has saved an entire world. You have proven that true peace is achieved through strength, and that only those who are prepared to use force in the present can prevent the need to use it in the future.

Mr., Mr. President, you more than any other individual are deserving of the highest recognition for your efforts in promoting peace. Therefore, I hereby announce that together with our good friend, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, we will rally speakers and presidents of parliaments from around the world to submit your candidacy for the Nobel Prize, Peace Prize next year. There is no one more deserving than you President Trump. No one.

President Donald Trump: [Inaudible]. Thank you.

Ohana: [Via Translator] Mr. President, we are in fro- -- confronting history. It is a very exciting day for the citizens of Israel, a day that we all wished for. In the Jeremiah, it says that from when we hear your cry, there will be a wage for your, uh, and they will return from the country of the enemies and the, and the sons returned to their borders, to their land. The Book of Jeremiah. I would like to, I want to wish all the hostages, how happy we are and how good it is that you are back home. The President Trump, who will give us that, uh, God Almighty will bless you, your, and your family, your country, and tho- all those who are dear to you and will make blessing. [In English] God bless America. And may God bless the state of Israel.

[Via Translator] I am inviting now Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, to say a few words. [Via Translator] Um, um, President Herzog and his wife, Michal, and the great honorary guests, and headed by our great friend, the President of the United States, President Donald J. Trump. Welcome to Jerusalem, our eternal capital. Welcome to Israel. In this moving day, exciting day, that will be inscribed in the history on the Annals of Israel, and you too, Mr. President, will be inscribed in the history of our nation, and you are already inscribed in the history of the world.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: And, uh, we remember our friends. We know your part, your important part, and the determined part to -- of the return of the hostages in this day when we were informed today, of an hour ago, that all our live hostages return back to us. What excitement. How much, how long we've waited for this moment and we have committed to return everyone. And I want to thank you personally and, and on behalf of the whole nation, thank you, Mr. President, President Trump. Thank you, Mr. president. [In English] But I'm not sure about the translation, so I'll say words in English. President Trump, the Knesset welcomes you and your distinguished delegation to Jerusalem, our eternal capital. This is your first visit to Israel since you recognize Jerusalem as our capital and moved the embassy here. Thank you, President Trump, for that.

There are many other reasons to thank you since your last visit here. Thank you for recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Thank you for standing up to the lies against Israel and the United Nations. Thank you for recognizing, in your 2020 Peace Plan, our rights in Judea and Samaria, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Thank you for brokering the historic Abraham Accords. Abraham. [In Hebrew, not translated]. Thank you for withdrawing from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. Thank you for supporting Operation Rising Line and fo- -- for your bold decision to launch Operation Midnight Hammer. Boy is that -- You gotta hear this.

This is the most fitting name ever named for a military operation because a little after midnight, you really hammered them. My friends, this is only a partial list, but it's enough to affirm what I've said time and again, Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for Israel. And as I said in Washington, it ain't even close. It's really not a match. Mr. President, today, we welcome you here to thank you for your pivotal leadership in putting forward a proposal that got the backing of almost the entire world. A proposal, a proposal that brings all our hostages home.

A proposal that ends the war by achieving all our objectives. A proposal that opens the door to an historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond our region. Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this piece. And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this piece. We've done it before, we've done it before in the Abraham Accords, and we'll do it again. Mr. President, today the Jewish calendar marks the end of two years of war. That war began on October 7th on the Jewish Festival of Simchat Torah. You always tell me, and you tell the world, "Remember October 7th." Mr. President, we remember. We remember the thousands of Hamas terrorists who stormed into our towns in Kibbutzim.

We remember the 1,200 people Hamas savagely slaughtered in cold blood, including dozens and dozens of Americans. We remember entire families burnt alive, burnt alive as they embraced each other. We remember the beautiful young Israelis brutally gunned down at the Nova Music Festival. We remember the hundreds of our citizens were dragged into the dungeons of Gaza, including 12 Americans, men and women, young and old, babies and elderly Holocaust survivors. My friends, Mr. President Donald, these monsters take babies as hostages. In response to this barbaric attack on October 7th, Israel did what it had to do. With indomitable courage, we set out to defend our people, to defeat our enemies, and to release our hostages. Our heroic soldiers fought like lions.

They fought on the front lines of civilization and barbarism. Israel achieved amazing victories over Hamas, and the entire Iran terror axis. Sinwar Dev, Kania, Nasrallah, Assad, they're all gone. Iran's, Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program with your enormous help, Mr. President rolled back. Half the Houthi leadership, wiped out. But the price of this victory, the price of these victories has been heavy. Nearly 2,000 of Israel's finest were lost. Nearly half in battle. They left behind parents, spouses, siblings, and children. Their love and laughter, their promise and potential were lost forever.

To the families of our fallen fighters, many of them are here, I say, I know the depth of your pain. I know the inconsolable grief that will accompany you for the rest of your lives. The State of Israel bows its head in eternal gratitude to our fallen heroes. Because of these heroes, our nation will survive. Because of these heroes, our nations will thrive, and because of these heroes, our nation will have peace. Mr. President, thousands of our brave soldiers were also wounded, suffering terrible blows to body and soul. Brave soldiers like Ari Spitz. Ari is an American. Ari is an American Israeli who was injured.

Ari is an American Israeli who was injured in Gaza while searching for Hamas terrorists and weapons. Two of Ari's comrades were killed in this action, and 10 were injured. Ari was presumed dead, but made a miraculous recovery despite losing three limbs. Ari, stand up for a minute alone. Stand up. There you go there. Ari. Ari, you are the spirit of Joshua. You are the spirit of David. You are the spirit of the Maccabees. You are the spirit of Israel. I salute you. We all salute you.

Unidentifed: Sabine. Sabine. Sabine. Sabine. Sabine. [Inaudible]

Netanyahu: Sabine Taasa of kibbutz Netiv HaAsara is watching this today from the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. Sabine lost her husband and her oldest son on October 7th. She's the mother of three other boys, two of them, Koren and Shai witnessed their father jump on a Hamas grenade to save his two sons. We all saw the film of those two boys crying out in pain, "Father is dead. Why? Why did God save me?" Mr. President, my friend Donald, I've seen some very tough things in my life, but I couldn't bring myself to watch those boys suffering again. So, I didn't see this film except once. Yet Sabine, their mother, has had the strength and fortitude to show this film across the world.

And my wife, Sarah, and I asked her, "Sabine, how do you do it? Why do you do it?" And she answered, "I do it to show the entire world the monsters Israel is fighting and the justice of our cause." This is what she's doing once again in Los Angeles. Sabine, you can hear me now, so I want to tell you on behalf of all of us, you embody the spirit of our biblical heroines, Deborah, Ruth, and Esther. You too are the spirit of Israel and we all salute you. Mr. President, you asked me on our many conversations during the 12-day War with Iran. You asked me, "How are the people holding up?" And I said to you, "Our people are strong? Israelis are a nation of lions with unlimited resolve to defend our country and secure our future." The people.

The people give strength to our soldiers. And the people give strength to me and to my colleagues. The Jewish people have risen from the ashes time and again, but when we formed the state of Israel, and the army of Israel, we pledged never again. Never again would be defenseless against our enemies. And that, that resolute strength, not only assures our survival, it assures our future, it assures peace. We have paid, we have paid a high price for this war, but our enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is. They understand that attacking Israel on October 7th was a catastrophic mistake. They understand that Israel is strong and that Israel is here to stay. And this, Mr. President, is the indispensable foundation of peace. Peace through strength.

Unidentified: [Inaudible]

Netanyahu: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a momentous day, a day of great joy, as the remaining hostages come home. My wife, Sarah, and I have met with the hostage families many times. There were no words to describe their agony, only tears of bottomless sorrow and unimaginable pain. 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 his team, and with the incredible s- -- sacrifice and courage of the soldiers of Israel, we are fulfilling that promise. It has been a long journey to get here. In the first week of the war, our brave soldiers put military pressure on Hamas, and the international community put diplomatic pressure on them.

This enabled us to secure the release of over 100 hostages. In heroic rescue attempts behind enemy lines, Israel's special forces rescued eight live hostages and brought back the d- -- remains of a dozens more. But, as time went on, we all know what happened. The diplomatic pressure was turned on its head. More and more governments bought into Hamas's false propaganda. More and more governments succumbed to anti-Semitic mobs in their own countries. They just turned on Israel. They called for us to surrender to Hamas' demands, just leave Gaza immediately, they said, end the war without committing to disarm Hamas, without committing to demilitarize Gaza, that Israel succumbed to those demands.

Not only would the Sinwar and Nasrallah, Assad and Iran's missile and nuclear program remain intact, not only that, because in no time the Hamas killers would be back on the border fence, ready to repeat the horrors of October 7th again and again, as they vowed to do. But just at that point, just at that point of maximum pressure on Israel, a man named Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States. And ladies and gentlemen, overnight, overnight, everything changed. Everything.

Ohana: [Inaudible] We felt it right here.

Netanyahu: [In English] Mr. President, thanks to your unequivocal backing of Israel, we secured a second hostage deal within weeks of your election. And in the months that followed, we worked closely together to forge a path to bring the remaining hostages home and end the war. End the war in a way that ensures the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza, and that Gaza would never again pose a threat to Israel. Two months ago, you fully backed my decision to send the IDF into the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza City. You shared my view that this military pressure would help free the hostages. And despite all the criticism, all the naysayers, we were right. Hamas caved in. And 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 did, you brought most of the world behind your proposal to free the hostages and end the war. I want to thank Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Ron Dermer for their great contribution to this effort. And I want to thank our negotiating team. I believe that the close cooperation between the two of us, between our two nations, combining Israel's military pressure and President Trump's unmatched global leadership -- I have to tell you, I've seen a lot of American presidents. I've seen them all in the time that I've been here, and I've been here quite a lot of time.

I've never seen anyone move the world so quickly, so decisively, so resolutely, as our friend, President Donald J. Trump.With our military pressure and President Trump's global leadership, we achieved this historic moment. It's a moment of indescribable joy as our nation embraces our sons who are coming home. Mr. President, this week, Jews around the world, Jews around the world, are going to read the book of Ecclesiastes, Qohelet, in the Bible. The Bible has many miraculous moments. One of them was your decision to bomb Fordo. I think it was a pivot of history because it wasn't meant only to bomb Fordo. That action and your previous action of taking out Qas- -- Qasem Soleimani, the architect of death, I think that changed the balance of power in the world.

You brought America back again to the driver's seat. Now, I said that we're going to read this week the book of Ecclesiastes. It has -- It's not a book of action, it's a book of, uh, meditations, of thought, a perspective on life and on death. And in this book, we read the immortal words of King Solomon, to everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, [In Hebrew, not translated], a time for peace and a time for war. The last two years have been a time of war. The coming years will hopefully be a time for peace. Peace inside Israel, and peace outside Israel. I look forward to continuing marching with you on the path we paved together with the Abraham Accords. Under your leadership, we can forge new peace treaties with Arab countries in the region and Muslim countries beyond the region.

Abraham's children will work together to build a better future, a future that will unite civilization against barbarism, light against darkness, and hope against despair. And my friends, I believe that with President Trump's leadership this will happen a lot faster than people think. As Prime Minister of Israel, I extend my hand to hold those who seek peace with us. No one wants peace more than the people of Israel. Israel will always remain vigilant in defending itself, and Israel will always remain full of hope. Hope is our national anthem. Hope is our creed. Hope is our strength. It is time, my friends, to realize that hope and expand the circle of peace. Mr. President, thank you for all you have done for us. I have, uh, submitted your nomination to be the first non-Israeli recipient of the Israel Prize, Israel's highest award.

As to that other prize, just a question of time, you'll get it. But I want you to get the Israel Prize, our highest award to our greatest friend. When others were weak, you were strong. When others were fearful, you were bold. When others abandoned us, you stood by our side. On behalf of the government and people of Israel, I thank you for your extraordinary friendship. Thank you for helping bring our hostages home. Thank you for supporting Israel's march to victory. Thank you for paving a path to peace. [In Hebrew, not translated] [Via Translator] Honorary President, welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome in this exit exciting day that brought us to this day. [In English] May God bless you. May God bless America. May God bless Israel and may God bless the covenant between our two promised lands. Thank you, Mr. President. [Inaudible]

Trump: I can't believe it. [Inaudible]

Netanyahu: You see what [Inaudible]

Trump: Unbelievable.

Netanyahu: You can't get this anywhere in the world.

Trump: Unbelievable.

Netanyahu: But you'll get it [Inaudible] Thank you.

Trump: Thank you. Speaker 4: The President. Come on up, opposition. Come on, opposition.

Netanyahu: Yeah. Okay. [Laughs]

Unidentified: [In Hebrew, not translated]

Yair Lapid: [In English] I will give it back to you soon. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, members of Knesset, Ministers, President Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu, distinguished guests, Your Excellency, President Trump. For two years, we waited for this moment. Two years of sleepless nights, two years without air in our lungs. Our eyes are filled with tears today. Our hearts are filled with gratitude. Our children are coming home. In the Babylonian Talmud, a sacred book of the Jewish people, it is written, "Whoever destroys one life, it is as though he destroyed an entire world, and whoever saves one life, it is though as he has saved an entire world." Mr. President, you have saved the lives of our hostages, but you saved so much more.

You have saved the souls of the bereaved, whose loved ones now will be brought home for burial. You have saved thousands of soldiers, who will now not fall in battle, and you have saved millions from the horrors of war. You have saved more than one life, and each life is an entire world. This is a historic moment, and a reminder that history is shaped by people. It is shaped by those who know the past, but have the vision to change the future. 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. Peace will not come by waiting. It will come by building, by reaching out, and by daring, once again, to believe. You, Mr. President, have done the unimaginable. We will be eternally grateful, but we also need to take responsibility. The destiny of Israel will always be written by the people of Israel. We must now prove ourselves worthy of what has been achieved. From its founding, Israel has said to the world that our strength, our power, rests upon our values. Israel is the strongest country in the Middle East because we are the only democracy in the Middle East, because, because we believe in the principles laid in our De- -- Declaration of Independence, which says, "Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its habitants, irrespective of religion, race, or sex.

It will guarantee freedom of religion, conscious language, education, and culture. It will safeguard the holy places for all religions." Those are our values. That is who we are as people, as a country. Our neighbors must understand one more thing about us. We are not going anywhere. The Middle East is our home. We are here to stay. Our story did not end in the Bible. It began there. It continues in our laboratories and universities, in our innovation hubs. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis, they all read the wrong intelligence reports. The real intelligence report on Israel's intentions is found in the Book of Genesis. "And I will give you, and your descendants after you, the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession." We call upon the nations of the Islamic world, to, and all our neighbors, Saudi Arabia, Syria, others.

We are here to stay. We can do great things together. Come and talk to us. Mr. President, you are the one who can make it happen, as you did with the historic Abraham Accords. Then, too, no one believed it was possible. Then, too, you imposed your vision on everyone. While others spoke of difficulties, you created opportunity. You can be the one to bring the next wave of peace. The people of Israel support this. They want this. We are ready, and you can later today, in Egypt with your unbelievable talented team, my friends, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, forge original alliance that will change not only the Middle East, but the entire world.

After two years of war, the peoples of this region should look around and ask themselves, whose situation is better? Those who chose the path of peace, or those who chose the path of war? Those who invested in their people, in the education of the children, in science and education and and technology, or those who invested in hate and, and in violence? From here, I say to all those who demonstrated against Israel, these past two years, on the streets of London and Rome, in Paris and Columbia University. I do not represent the government, as you know, I am the leader of the opposition, and I tell you then, you were de-deceived. You were deceived propaganda experts funded by terror money, manipulated you.

Now that the war has stopped, you have time and a chance to go and learn the facts. The truth is there was no genocide, no intentional starvation. The truth is there was an army and a country fighting in the most complicated conditions imaginable against terrorists who send their own children to die for follow up, who used their own children as human shields. The truth is that a democratic state was attacked by a fanatical terrorist organization. 1,200 people were killed in one day. Women were raped, babies were burned alive, and all that, on all the while, they played with your minds selling you the absurd idea that supporting Islamic terror is somehow a liberal value.

There is good and evil in this world. When you stand with Hamas, you stand with evil. When you stand with Hezbollah, you stand with evil. When you stand with the Iranian regime, you stand with evil. When you stand with Israel, you stand on the side of justice. Last week, last week, I attended the seventh October memorial ceremony. An inspirational woman called Galit Dan spoke on stage. Galit had a daughter, Noya, a 13-year-old girl who was autistic like my daughter, and Noya was, was full of light. She loved Harry Potter. On that dark day, Noya was sleeping at her grandmother's, Carmela's house, in Kibbutzni [Inaudible]. Carmela was eight years old.

Their bodies, grandmother and granddaughter, were found embraced. They were murdered together. On stage at the ceremony, Galit said a sentence that moved the soul, "We don't want revenge," she said, "We want redemption." Today, the redemption begins. Israel has endured two terrible years on the battlefield and in the international arena, but in those two years, we also rediscovered our own greatness. We remember how good we can be. Our pilots who took control of the skies over Iran, our industries leading the world in technology, our civil society, which reached out to help every victim of the war. We will move forward toward the different future. Our heroic soldiers who saved the soul will fold away their uniforms and rise as teachers and engineers, scientists and innovators, investors and small business owners.

We will never be able to repay the debt to those who sacrificed everything, these past years. To those who, as President Lincoln said, "Gave the last full measure of devotion. We can only be worthy of them, worthy of their sacrifice." Mr. President, allow me to speak also to the businessman in you, the deal maker who understands value. If there were one stock in the world I would invest in today, it is the state of Israel. If there were one nation that deserves unrestricted access to GPU chips, to AI and SMR technologies, to American markets, it is the state of Israel. Israel's future is intertwined with our eternal alliance, our strategic and moral covenant with our greatest friends, the United States of America.

This war is over. We will always need to stay vigilant to guard against those who seek our destruction, but the state of Israel is about to reinvent itself. The challenges ahead demand not only strengths, but a new vision. It's time to take a new path, to be a nation that is advanced and thriving and peace-seeking. We have waited for this moment, for the end of the war, for the return of the hostages, for the chance to re-channel our grief and loss into the energy needed to rebuild our nation. Thanks to you, Mr. President. Thanks to our soldiers, our lions. Thanks to the millions of great Israeli patriots who filled the streets and the qu- -- and the square, and never, not for one moment gave up on the hostages.

Thanks to all of them, the strength within us can now rise, succeed, and build for our future and for our children. Thank you very much. God bless the United States of America. [Via Translator] I would like to thank the, the head of the opposition.

Ohana: [In English] Members of the Knesset. [Via Translator] Members of the Knesset [In English] [Inaudible] President of the United States of America, His Excellency, Donald J. Trump to address the Knesset.

Trump: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. It's a great honor. Nice place. Very nice place. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, esteemed members of the Knesset and cherished citizens of Israel, we gather on a day of profound joy, of s- -- soaring hope, of renewed faith, and above all a day to give our deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families, and it is glorious. 28 more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time. And 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, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity.

This is not only the end of a war, this is the end of a age of terror and death, and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God. It's the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region. I believe that so strongly. This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East. I want 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. Bibi, please stand up. And he is not easy I want to tell you. He's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that's what makes him great.

That's what makes him great. Thank you very much, Bibi. Great job. And let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas, to set the hostages free, and to send them home. We had a lot of help. We had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn't suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that. It's an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace. And it's pretty unusual for you to see that. But it, it happened in this case, this was a very unusual point in time, a brilliant point in time. Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change and change very much for the better. Like the USA right now, it will be the golden age of Israel, and the golden age of the Middle East. It's gonna work together. I'd like to thank several great American patriots for their invaluable help in getting something done that almost everyone thought was absolutely impossible. We were wasting our time.

So many people said, "You're just wasting your time." But we weren't because we had talented people working with us. And we had people that loved your country and frankly, people that loved the region, they loved the Middle East. I want to thank my friend Steve Witkoff. You know, Steve was chosen by me. He never did this before, but I knew him as, a few things. He was a great businessman, but I know a lot of great businessmen, to be honest with you. He had tremendous negotiating skills. But I know a lot of people that negotiate pretty well, although it is an art. But, uh, people that can negotiate pretty well. But most importantly with Steve, he's just a great guy.

Everybody loved him. Everybody. I mean, I know some negotiators that are so good, but you wouldn't have had peace in the Middle East. You'd be, would be in World War III right now with some of these guys. Everybody loves Steve and they respect him, and they somehow can relate to him. I've known him for many years and I've seen it over, over and over again.

Ofer Cassif: [Inaudible, protesting Trump's speech]

Unidentified: Please expel this Knesset member. Please expel this Knesset member. Please exp- -- please exp- -- expel Knesset member Kassif out of the hall. Please expel him immediately. I'm, I, I'm [Inaudible]

Trump: That was very efficient. So back to Steve. He's -- But I tell one story because he was so involved. And then we called in Jared. We call it, we need that brain on occasion. We gotta get Jared in here. We gotta get a certain group of people. But Steve started this all by himself. I call him Henry Kissinger, who doesn't leak. Okay. Henry is a big leaker. He leaked. Steve doesn't leak. Steve just wants to get the job done. He wants to do what's right. But I'll give you just a quick story because as you know, he's working on the war with Russia and Ukraine. A war that would've never happened if I were President, a shame. 7,000 young soldiers a week are being killed.

More than that this last week. It's a shame. Should have never happened, but it did happen. And we won the race, and I took over this horrible war that's been raging and I thought it would be, uh, easily settled. I thought it was a hell of a lot easier than doing what we just did very successfully with Israel and a lot of other people. But, uh, this came first and we'll get that one. But I set up a meeting for him to meet with President Putin, thinking it would be a 15 or a 20-minute meeting. Steve had no idea about Russia, had no idea about Putin too much. Didn't know too much about politics, wasn't that interested. He was really good at real estate, but he had that quality that I was looking for, and I didn't see it around in too many ways.

And I set up the meeting with Putin and I called, I said, uh, "Is Steve finished yet?" That was about a half an hour into the meeting. "No sir, he is not. He's still inside." This is in Moscow. I said, "Well, how's he doing?" "I don't know, sir. He's still inside." I called up an hour later, "Let me speak to Steve." "Sir, he's still with Putin. He's with President Putin." I said, "Wow, that's a long meeting, one hour." I called up, an hour later he was still with Putin. Three hours later he was still with Putin. [Laughter] Four hours later we started to get the word that he was gonna be coming out soon. And in five hours he came out. I said, "What the hell were you talking about for five hours?" [Laughter] And he says, "Just a lot of interesting things.

We just were talking about a lot of interesting things," including what he went in there for. But you can't talk about it for five -- You can talk about it for a certain period of time and you know what you're getting. But that's a talent. That's a talent where you can do that. Most people I'd send in, number one, they wouldn't be accepted. Number two, if they were, were, the meeting would last five minutes. And that's what happens with Steve. Everybody loves him. They love him on this side. They love him on the other side. And he really is, he's a, a great negotiator because he's a great guy. So thank you very much, Steve, very much. And let me also give a very special thanks to someone who truly loves Israel.

In fact, loves it so much that my daughter converted. [Laughs] [Laughter] My daughter converted. I didn't know this was going to happen. And Ivanka's here. And, Bibi, you do know this was not in the cards for me. You understand that? And she is so happy, and they are so happy. At least I think they're happy. [Laughter] If they're not, we have a big story, right? No, they have a great marriage, and they're, uh, and they get along great. They're best friends. They have a very special relationship. But Jared, uh, has been so helpful. He, uh, he really did something very special. He established the Abraham Accords with a group of very wonderful people. I like calling it the Abraham Accords because people that -- What?

Abraham, it's so cool. It's so much sort of nicer. You know, the Abraham versus the Abraham. [Laughter] I just don't want to sound too sanctimonious when I do it. So, you know, I sort of split it up. [Laughs] This way we keep everybody happy, but we have, uh, some very great talent, and they have no excuses for anything that's taken place 'cause we had some unbelievably good people working on this. And then you're gonna add a man named Marco Rubio, who is also here. That's right. And I have a prediction that Marco will go down, I mean this, as the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the United States. I believe that. I believe it. And he and I, you know, we really fought it out. Uh, you, you remember.

He was tough. He was nasty. [Laughter] Who the hell thought this was gonna happen, Marco? Right? And now I'm saying he's gonna go down as the greatest. He will. He was always, he was always smart and sharp, and people respect him. And then we have somebody who's young, but an unbelievable leader. I saw it a long time ago, and he's turned out to be even better, even better than we thought, right, Susie? I think even better. And that's Pete Hegseth, who is our Secretary of War, formerly Secretary of Defense. And, as you know, we decisively won World War I. We decisively won World War II, decisively, and everything in between and everything before it. We won everything, and then they had the brilliant idea of changing the name from war.

You know, it was war to defense. And with that went a certain thinking. And we fought in a very politically-correct way after that. We always had the strongest military. And now we have a stronger military than we've ever had before because of my first term. I've totally rebuilt the military, every aspect of it. But we have, uh -- If you think, we settled eight wars in eight months. I'm now including this one, by the way, if that's okay. They may say, "Well, that was quick." 'Cause yesterday, I was saying seven, but now I can say eight. The hostages are back. The hostages are back. It is a good feeling. Isn't that nice to say? You know, I just said the hostages -- First time I said the hostages are back, it sounds, it feels so good to say it. But when you settle eight wars in eight months, that means you don't like war.

Everyone thought I was gonna be brutal. In fact, I remember Hillary Clinton during a debate, she said, "Look at him. Look at him, he's gonna go w- -- to war with everybody." And actually, she said, "He's got a personality that's all about war." No, and my personality actually is all about stopping wars, and it seems to work. [Laughs] It seems to work. But it also means this name change and our attitude that, uh, we're not gonna go into a war, but if we do, we're going to win that war like nobody has ever won a war before. We will not be politically correct, but we're not gonna be there. And I think, you know, as you mentioned, Bibi, before, "Peace through strength." And that's what it's all about.

The United States has the greatest and most powerful military in the, right now, history of the world. I can tell you, we have weapons that nobody's ever dreamt of. I only hope we never have to use 'em. I rebuilt the military. I was proud to do it. But some of the things, I hated to do. I hated certain of the weapons because the level of power is so enormous. It's so dangerous, so bad. But we have to do what we have to do. We make the best weapons in the world, and we've got a lot of them. And we've given a lot to Israel, frankly. And -- I mean, Bibi would call me so many times, "Can you get me this weapon, that weapon, that weapon?" Some of 'em I never heard of, Bibi, and I made 'em. [Laughter] But we'd get 'em here, wouldn't we, huh?

And they are the best. They are the best. And you, but you used them well. It also takes people that know [Laughs] how to use them, and you obviously used them very well, but so many that Israel became strong and powerful, which, ultimately, led to peace. That's what led to peace. So, as we celebrate today, let us remember how this nightmare of depravity and death all began. Two years ago, on the eve of the Simchat Torah holiday, thousands of innocent Israeli civilians were attacked by terrorists in one of the most evil and heinous desecrations of innocent life the world has ever seen; the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. The cruelty of October 7th struck to the core of humanity itself.

Nobody could believe what they were witnessing. The United States of America grieved alongside you, and we mourn for our own citizens who were so viciously taken that day. And to all the families whose lives were forever changed by the atrocities of that day, and all of the people of Israel, please know that America joins you in those two everlasting vows, "Never forget, and never again." From October 7th until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand. It was a very tough period of time. For so many families across this land, it has been years since you've known a single day of true peace. But now, at last, not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians, and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over. And as the dust settles, the smoke fades, the debris is removed, and the ashes clean from the air.

The day that breaks on a region transformed and a beautiful and much brighter future appears suddenly within your reach. This is now a very exciting time for Israel, and for the entire Middle East, because all across the Middle East, the forces of chaos, terror, and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated and totally defeated. A new coalition of proud and responsible nations is emerging. And because of us, the enemies of all civilization are in retreat. Thanks to the bravery and incredible skill of the Israeli Defense Forces and Operation Rising Lion. Y'know, guy's central casting. Let's put him in a movie. Look at him. Great job.

And my people loved working with you. Loved it. They worked so well together. But many of Iran's top terrorists, including nuclear scientists and commanders, have been extinguished from this earth. And with Operation Midnight Hammer -- boy, that's a great name for that, what we did -- last June. The United States military flew seven of those beautiful B-2 bombers. They looked so beautiful all of a sudden. They were always -- I thought they were pretty planes. I had no idea they could do what they did. In fact, we just ordered 28 more of 'em. A little update, a little updated version. We ordered a whole pile of 'em, and almost 100 other planes went with them, including fighter jets, and we had 52 tankers -- big, beautiful brand-new tankers -- that were loading 'em up four or five times.

They've traveled 37 hours back and forth. Think of that. But we had tankers all over the sky for all the other planes. We had the F-22's, the F-35's, F-16's. We had a hell of a lot of planes. So we had 52 gas stations in the sky. That's what they call 'em. I'll tell you, I wouldn't wanna be flying one of them. We have our great General 'Razin' Caine, right here. General, stand up. This guy, what a general. Thank you. Y'know, I asked, uh, General Caine, I said, uh, you know, "We're having problems with ISIS," and I was in Washington and I asked, "How long would it take to defeat ISIS?" And my Washington generals told me, "Three, four, maybe five years, sir." I said, "I don't get it. We got the best equipment in the world.

Why?" So I flew to Iraq and I met with a man named Caine. I said, "What's your first name?" He said, "They call me 'Razin', sir." I say, "Wait a minute. Your name is 'Razin' Caine? I've been looking for you for a long time. You gotta be kidding." So they told me 3, 4, 5 years to defeat ISIS. And I sit down with him and I say, "Why is it -- " I, I flew there in the dark of night. I landed, I'll never forget it. It was quite a trip. I'm glad I made it 'cause I met him. I said, "Could I ask you, General?" I come down, he's standing with another general and a sergeant. Everybody was like central casting. They could go into a movie, right now. Between him and you guys over here, we could get rich making movies, okay?

But, but, and they got along so great. That's the beautiful thing that your military and our military, Bibi, got along so great. But, but I was told by the television generals in Washington, "We have the best equipment in the world. Why is it taking so long?" and uh, they said, "Four years." I said, "So let me ask you, 'Razin', uh, how long would it take you to defeat ISIS?" "Sir, we can do it in three weeks, but you'll probably have some time left over." I said, "You gotta be kidding. What the hell are you talking about? They said four years." He said, "Well, sir, uh, look, it's not my place to say, but you're asking me the question. What you have to do is you hit 'em from the west, you hit 'em from the north, you hit 'em from the south, you hit 'em above, you hit 'em below." I said, "So why didn't they do it?" and he didn't want to speak badly of his superiors, which is hard to believe, they were his superiors.

It should have been the other way around a long time ago, 'cause he's the one that did Operation Ham- -- it was flawless. It was flawless. It was absolutely flawless. And, and I said, "So you really think you can do it in four weeks?" "Yes, sir. 100%. You have to do it differently than they were doing it. They were using one base, and it was hundreds of miles away." And he says, "We have all these portable bases all over the Middle East. And they didn't want to use them because they didn't want to offend the country where the portable -- " They wouldn't have even known what the hell the planes were going up, right? [Laughter] They wouldn't have known, but he said, "No, they didn't want to defend anybody -- of, offend anybody, and, uh, but we can do it in four weeks." And I said, "You sure about that?

I'm gonna call you back. I'll call you back on Monday. I'm going back to Washington. But you think four weeks?" "Yes, sir. I think we can do it in four weeks. We'll have time left over." So, I call him on Monday. I said, "You think you can do it?" "Four weeks." I said, "Go ahead and do it." He did it. I'll tell you, he did it in four weeks, less than four weeks. So, General, stand up, please. Again, this is a real general. This is not a television general. He doesn't wanna go on television. He doesn't wanna go on television. I said, "The [Laughs] other guys love being on television." So we dropped 14 bombs on Iran's key nuclear facilities, totally, as I said originally, obliterating them. And that's been confirmed, and everybody understands it. Together, we stopped the number one state sponsor of terror from obtaining the world's most dangerous weapons. And if you think about it, if we didn't do that, and assuming we made the same deal that we have today, there'd be a dark cloud over this deal.

And number one, it wouldn't happen because the other Arab and Muslim nations really wouldn't feel comfortable making the deal that we have now, right, if Iran had that nuclear weapon that they were about two months away from having. They would've had it in two months or maybe less than that. They were right at -- This was our last shot. They looked at it for 22 years. This was our last shot. The pilots told me that. They said, "22 years, sir, they looked at it, our predecessors looked. They studied it. Three times a year, we'd do drills on that exact attack." And boy, did they get it right. But let's assume they didn't, and let's assume there was large-scale nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran.

We couldn't be here today, even if we signed the deal, which we couldn't do because a lotta people would not wanna have anything to do with it. We took a big cloud off of the Middle East and off of Israel. And it was my honor to, uh, to help. But it -- Isn't, isn't it true though that -- Can you imagine the same, let's assume maybe the same documents, we had everything the same, but you had somebody out there that was, in the opinion of everybody, all-powerful in the Middle East? Uh, they took a big hit, didn't they? Didn't they take a big hit? Boy, oh, boy. They got hit from one side, from the other. And you know what'd would be great, if we could make a peace deal with them, and I think that's big. Would you be happy with that? Wouldn't it be nice? You think? Because I think they want to. I think they're tired. [Laughs] Somebody said, "Sir, they're starting their nuclear program again." I said, "Let me tell you something.

They're not starting anything. They wanna survive. [Laughs] The last thing they wanna do is start digging holes again in mountains that just got blown up and start. They're not doing -- It's they wanna survive, okay." But I think we have a chance. Steve, you and I think, uh, Jared, come on. I'll call you back for another one. [Laughs] [Laughter] We always bring Jared when we wanna get that deal closed. We bring Jared, but Steve, you and Jared and the general, and Pete, and Marco, uh, you'll get that deal done easy. I think that'll be easy. But first we have to get Russia done. We gotta get that one done. [Laughter] If you don't mind, Steve, let's focus on Russia first. All right? We'll get it, though. In Lebanon, the dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel's throat, has been totally shattered.

My administration is actively supporting the new president of Lebanon and his mission to permanently disarm Hezbollah's terror brigades. He's doing very well. And build a thriving state at peace with its neighbors, and you're very much in favor of that, I know. And, uh, it's, uh -- Good things are happening there, really good things. And with this week's ceasefire, we've achieved the most challenging breakthrough of them all, the most challenging breakthrough maybe ever. I mean, I've never seen anything like -- I've been involved in a lot of success. I have never seen anything like what's going on today all over the world. People are dancing in the streets, not just in Israel.

They're dancing in the streets of countries that would've never danced in the street about what's happening today. They're dancing in those streets. So, this long and difficult war has now ended. You know, some people say 3,000 years. Some people say 500 years. Whatever it is, it's, uh, the granddaddy of 'em all, and in an unprecedented achievement, virtually the entire region has endorsed the plan that Gaza will be immediately demilitarized, that Hamas will be disarmed, and Israel's security will no longer be threatened in any way, shape, or form. So Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms. You've won. I mean, you've won. Now it's 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, oppo -- Mr. opposition leader. He's a, I say, he's a very nice opposition leader, I think. No, he's a nice man. Bibi, he's a nice man. Good. He knows what he's doing, right? [Laughs]. Nah, a very nice guy. Well, see, now you can be a little bit nicer, Bibi, because you're not at war anymore, Bibi. [Laughter] But only by embracing the opportunities of this moment can we achieve our goal of ensuring that the horrors of recent years will never happen again.

You don't want to have to go through this again. Eight years ago, I came to this region on a very special first trip abroad as the President of the United States. I came here very early, at your request. I addressed the leaders of the Arab and Muslim world, gathered in Saudi Arabia and said that it was time to build a future free of the grip of extremism and terror. And I'm interestingly, right now, I'm, as soon as I'm finished, I'm quite late. [Laughs]. You've kept me quite late between opposition leaders and Bibi's brilliant, but very long speech. [Laughter] I thought I was gonna run up here, make a speech, and then head to Egypt. It didn't work out though. And you made a pretty long one too, sir.

But I liked what you all said. It could be worse. Supposing I on top of it, I didn't like what you said that would no -- That would be no good, Ron, would it? [Laughter] Ron, you did a great job, by the way, Ron. Yeah. So I'm gonna be meeting actually in a little while, I'm gonna be meeting with the most powerful, the richest nations, really, in the world. Although, now with the tariffs, the United States is by far the richest nation in the world, as you probably have been reading. But the richest nations, most powerful nations, uh, you know, tremendous, uh, tremendous -- Headed by some tremendous people in many cases. Some cases, I wouldn't say necessarily I would endorse.

But I will tell you, some incredible people that really helped us make this all possible. So I'll be going there. I'll be quite late. They might not be there by the time I get there, but we're gonna give it a shot. But the journey we started back then led to the crushing defeat of the ISIS caliphate, to the monumental Abraham Accords, and ultimately, to the historic ceasefire this week, in which many of those same nations really played at a very pivotal role, I have to tell you. Steve will tell you that. Jared will tell you that. Together we've shown that peace is not just a hope that we can dream about, it's a reality we can build upon day by day, person by person, and nation by nation. And because of that, the Middle East is finally ready to embrace its extraordinary potential.

You have extraordinary potential in this region. It should now be clear to everyone throughout the region that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, Jihadism and anti-Semitism have not worked. They haven't worked. They've been a disaster. They've just killed. They've killed. They've backfired completely and totally. They've just totally backfired. Everything that you thought, take it worst case, it's turned out to be worse than that. They have not worked. From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering, failure and death. They've served not to weaken Israel, but to annihilate the very forces that did the most to foment this hatred.

And it's really, I mean, everybody that's tried it has become irrelevant. Meanwhile, we've seen those nations that set aside their differences, reached across ancient divides and pursued engagement, are now among the most successful in the region. They're getting along with Israel and they're doing great. And I can tell you the four nations that joined the Abraham Accords early on, and you'd all be doing me a favor, and uh, and I'm gonna be saying this in a little while to some other friends, we'd love you all to, is this right, Jared? Join up in the Abraham Accords. We have to join up and get together. You can have that whole thing filled out.

We had a very weak administration, worst president in the history of our country by far. And Barack Obama was not far behind, by the way. And they did nothing with this incredible document, the Abraham Accords. But now you can fill 'em up. Now you have peace. You have people that really like Israel. I'll tell you what, and they like Israel a lot more today than they did even five weeks ago. Like, you've made a lot of, you've, you've come back, you've come back strong because it was getting to be a little nasty out there in the world. And ultimately the world wins. You can't beat the world, or I would say to Bibi, "Bibi, it's now time." And he understood it better than anybody. Because ultimately, you know, the world's a very big place.

And I've said a lot. I said, "This piece of land is very small. It's unbelievable what you do with that tiny -- You look at a map even of just not the world, the Middle East, and you have this little dot. And think of what you've done, it's incredible. It's incredible." But the world is loving, the world is loving Israel again. And I said to Bibi, "You know, the world is big, and it's strong, and run, ultimately the world wins. And we don't have to worry about that now." But there was getting to be a, a period of time over the last few months. You know, the, the world wanted peace, and Israel wanted peace. Everybody did. Everybody did.

And what a victory it's been, right? What a victory it's been. If you would've gone on for three, four more years, keep fighting, fighting, fighting, it was, it was getting bad. It was getting heated. The timing of this is brilliant. And I said, "Bibi, you're gonna be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill. It would be, uh, not, it would not be the same." And I just want to congratulate you for having the courage to say, "That's it. We've won and now let's enjoy our lives, and let's rebuild Israel, and make it stronger, and bigger and better than it's ever been before. We're gonna do that." Took a lot of guts. And the choice for Palestinians could not be more clear. This is their chance to turn forever from the path of terror and violence. It's been extreme, to exile the wicked forces of hate that are in their midst. And I think that's gonna happen. I've met some people over the last couple of months that wanna see it happen very much.

And after tremendous pain, and death, and hardship, now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down. We don't want that to happen again. And the total focus of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development so they can finally have the better life that their children really do deserve after all these decades of horror. I intend to be a partner in this effort in the sense that we're going to help and we're going to do something that became unbelievably popular. Everybody wants to be on it. It's called the Board of Peace. Okay? How about that? Is that a beautiful name, like a Board of Peace? The only bad thing from my standpoint, every single nation involved has asked me to be the chair.

And I'll tell you, I'm very busy. I didn't count on that. But you know what, if we do it we'll do it right. And we have unbelievable, uh, power and wealth because you're gonna need wealth. You're gonna need wealth to rebuild things. And they have wealth like few people have wealth. I want to thank the Arab and Muslim nations for their commitment as they've made to support a safe rebuilding of Gaza and beyond. I have many Arab countries, very wealthy countries that came up and said, "We'll put up tremendous amounts of money to get, uh, rebuilt, to rebuild Gaza." And I think that's going to happen. The power, they want dignity. They want to come forward, and they want to say, and I wanna say who they are because, uh, what they're doing is going to be I think something that you're gonna be very impressed with, Bibi.

And, uh, you need that. You need the kind of economic power that they have, and they wanna see it work, and they want to see it be safe. And they wanna see it be good for Israel too. And as much money as it will be and it's a lot, as you can see, it's a lot. For these countries, it's relatively little relative to their worth. It's really a lot of money like money like most people could never even conceive. But for these countries, it's not that much, especially because it ensures success and stability in the Middle East, which is what they want to see. So many of them will be with us in Egypt in a little while, I think. I'm not sure. They may be gone. They may have taken their Boeing 747s and left. I said, "What kind of a plane do you fly?" "Uh, 747." I said, "That's a large plane." No, they may have, uh -- Steve, do you think they've left on their Boeing seven, their brand new Boeing 747s or? I don't know. We're gonna find out soon.

It's gonna be a big story. There'll be two people left and they'll be the two poorest ones. But, but it will be the wealthiest and most powerful group of nations. So the group that we have assembled that's waiting for us is the wealthiest and most powerful group ever assembled at one time. There has never been a group like this. And they're only looking for good. They want good. They're gonna do good. And as those commitments are made, I'm going to let the world know who's doing it because they really deserve to get the credit. And some of them probably won't want the credit, but they deserve it. It's more obvious than ever that the productive and responsible nations of this region should not be enemies or adversaries.

You should be partners and eventually even friends, and that's what's going to happen. I know it. Together, you can stand against the forces of chaos. Yeah, you go ahead. That's an important point. Because you can stand against the forces of chaos that threatened all of your interests. And it's always a big threat, always a big threat. And unleash incredible prosperity and opportunity for all the people of these lands, and that's what's going to happen. You're gonna unleash numbers and success the likes of which Israel has never been able to think of because you're so, uh, firm and, and you should be, and you've done the right thing in defending yourself.

You're not gonna have to worry so much about it. You've won, and now you can build and you can do things that you never even thought possible. It's go, when you put that genius into doing something else, it's gonna be something that's -- It's gonna be a miracle. The miracle in the desert. It's gonna be amazing. And it already is, in a true sense, but it'll be wonderful when you can spend time thinking about other than war and defense and offense also. To that end, it's my firm hope and dream, frankly, that together the, uh, Abraham Accords will turn out to be everything that we thought they would. Those four countries were very, very brave in doing it. They did it at a very early point, and every single one of them benefits unbelievably financially.

Uh, and have you noticed? Even in this bad period that we just went through, they all remained a member of the Abraham Accords. They've done unbelievably well. And I just -- And you know who you are and I want to thank you. And they've stayed because of loyalty, but they've also stayed because it was really good business. They've made a lot of money being members, and you're gonna all -- I think, -- hope that everyone of -- I hope that every one of the countries that we're seeking, Jared, I hope they join quickly. No games, no nothing, just join, get it. It's gonna be a great peacemaker. It's really gonna bring it together beyond any, anybody's wildest dreams.

So instead of building fortresses to keep enemies at bay, the nations of this region should be building infrastructure to weave your commerce closer together 'cause you've gotta compete with a big world out there in commerce now. It's a different kind of competition. Instead of making weapons and missiles, the wealth of this region should flow to schools and medicine, industry, and, frankly, the new hot thing, artificial intelligence. It's, uh, boy, it's a lot of intelligence you're gonna have to be throwing off to make, to pay back these, uh, sums of money that they're doing. But that's, that's really the hot one. And I might say that the United States a year ago was a dead country. I say it to people, I heard it first from the King of Saudi Arabia, I then heard it from UAE, I heard it from Qatar, I heard it from many other countries.

A year ago, the United States of America was a dead country, now it's the hottest country anywhere in the world. It is the hottest. There's no question about it. In fact, if you go back a year ago before the election -- Although once we had November 5th, we became hot 'cause people got it. I would say November 5th was a time that we became really hot. But once you go back a couple of years, uh, if I were in charge and the country was doing what they -- Nobody was gonna ask me to speak. Nobody asked Joe Biden to come up and speak, I guarantee you that, and if they did, he would've turned him down, I promise you. He didn't speak. He didn't speak and he didn't speak well.

But all of the countries in the Middle East could have, what we, what we're doing now, it could have happened a long time ago, but it was strangled and set back almost irretrievably by the administrations of Barack Obama and then Joe Biden. It was, uh, there was a hatred toward Israel. There was an absolute hatred. The setbacks really started when President Obama signed the Iran nuclear deal. This was a disaster for Israel, and it was a disaster for everyone. And I remember that Bibi Netanyahu came to the United States and worked so hard to try and get Obama not to do that deal. He worked so hard. And, but it was like talking to a wall.

I remember him telling me [Laughs] it was like talking to a wall. They wanted to go with Iran. They chose Iran, frankly, over a lot of other good nations, but in specifically, Israel. And that was the beginning of a very bad period of time. You had Obama go out and the Iran nuclear deal turned out to be a disaster. And by the way, I terminated the Iran nuclear deal, and I was very proud to do it. Yet, even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and cooperation is open. I'm telling you, they wanna make a deal. That's all I do in my life. I make deals. I'm good at it. I've always been good at it. And I know when they want.

Even if they said, "We don't wanna make a deal," I can tell you they wanna make a deal. [Laughter] All right? They do. They wanna make a deal. And we're gonna see if we can do something because this is crazy what's happening. And we're not gonna have this anymore. Neither the United States nor Israel bear the people of Iran any hostility. We merely want to live in peace. We don't want any looming threats over our heads. And we don't want to even think in terms of nuclear destruction. It's not gonna happen. Never will happen. There's nothing that would do more good for this part of the world. And for Iran's leaders to renounce terror, stop threatening their neighbors, quit funding their militant proxies, and finally, recognize Israel's right to existence.

They have to do that. They have to do that. And to Iran -- And as you know, this is not said out of weakness. [Laughs] There's no weakness. But I'm gonna say this, that we are ready when you are. And it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made. And it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. And the good people, a lot of the -- I know a lot of Iranians in the United States, they're good people. Smart, hardworking people. They don't want to see what's happened to their country. The story of fierce Israeli resolve and triumph since October 7th should be proof to the entire world, that those who seek to destroy this nation are doomed to bitter failure. The state of Israel is strong and it will live and thrive forever.

And that is why Israel will always remain a vital ally of the United States of America. Israeli share our values, field one of the world's most powerful militaries. You really do. You have an amazing -- What a job. What a job you've done. And have one of the most innovative economies on earth. Those are just a few of the reasons why I am proud to be the best friend that Israel has ever had. And they all say it in the White House. They all say it. I guess it's true because everybody says it. Bibi, you said it today. Thank you. But as president, I terminated the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. And ultimately, I terminated Iran's nuclear program with, uh, things called B-2 bombers. It was, it was swift and it was accurate, and it was, uh, a military beauty.

I authorized the spending of billions of dollars, which went to Israel's defense, as you know. And after years of -- And after years of broken promises from many other American presidents, you know that they kept promising. I never understood it until I got there. They -- There was a lot of pressure put on these presidents. It was put on me too, but I didn't yield to the pressure. But every president for decades said, "We're gonna do it." The difference is I kept my promise and officially recognized the capital of Israel and moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem. Isn't that right, Miriam? Look at Miriam. She's back there.

Stand up now. Stand up. Miriam and Sheldon would come into the office. They'd call me, he'd call me. I, I think he, I think they had more trips to the White House than anybody else I can think of. Look at her, sitting there so innocently. She's got 60 billion in the bank. 60 billion. [Laughter] And she loves, and she lo- -- I [Laughs] think she said, "No more." And she loves Israel. But she loves it, and they would come in, and her husband was a very aggressive man, but I loved him. He was a very aggressive, very supportive of me. And, uh, he'd call up, uh, "Can I come over and see you?" I'd say, "Sheldon, I'm the President of the United States, [Laughs], it doesn't work that way." He'd come in w- -- d- -- but they, uh, were very responsible for so much, including getting me thinking about Golan Heights, which is probably one of the greatest things to ever happen to Israel.

Miriam, stand up, please. Y- -- she really is. I mean, she loves this country. She loves this country. Her and her husband were so incredible. We miss him so dearly. But I actually asked her, I'm gonna get her in trouble with this, but I actually asked her once, I said, "So, Miriam, I know you love Israel. What do you love more, the United States or Israel?" She refused to answer. That means, that might mean Israel [Laughs], I must say. We, we love you. Thank you, darling, for being here. That's a great honor. Great honor. She's a wonderful woman. She is a great woman. I've always stood for the people of this community, and I always will. I'll always be with you. I'm always gonna be with you.

I guess maybe something could happen that changed my mind, somebody that's really stupid gets into office and wants to do really bad things, but that's about it. We don't think we're gonna have that happen. I hope we're not gonna have that happen. And this man is a good man right here. These two men are good men right here. Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon? Give him a pardon. Come on. [Laughs] By the way, that was not in the speeches, you probably know. But I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense. You know, whether we like it or not, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents.

This is wa- -- been one of the greatest wartime presidents, and cigars and sa- -- Champagne, who the hell cares about that? Alright. Enough controversy for the day, right? [Laughter] It's, actually, I don't think it's very controversial, so, you know, I mean, I see he's so popular. You are a very popular man. You know why? Because you know how to win. Over the past two years I've met many of the families of the Israelis they'd taken hostage, and those that were taken hostage, unbelievable. I've looked into their eyes. I've seen the worst nightmares of their suffering, but I've also seen something else. The beautiful love of the people.

The love of people, frankly, that hold things together. The love that gives you the courage to carry on through thousands of years of persecution and repression, and to emerge with the heart of David. It's the heart of David. It's that love that's defeated the enemies of civilization, built this incredible country, and this unbelievable economy, and forged one of the great democracies of the world. That is why it's a true honor to stand here today and address this assembly in your ancient and eternal, now capital, Jerusalem. I'm proud to have helped in that regard. This city and this nation stand as living proof that a much brighter future for this entire region is truly within our grasp. For thousands of years, Jerusalem has been a home to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of all ethnicities and creeds.

This is the holy center of the world's three great Abrahamic faiths. [Laughter] I like that too. [Laughter] Adorned, it's the first time I've seen that word in a while. Adorned with their sacred sites, and alive with their pilgrims and visitors from every corner of the globe. But here between the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, and the hill called Calvary, people of every faith and background live, work, pray, serve, and raise their family side by side and they do it with love. This example is just one of the modern miracles that Israel has given to the world. And just in closing, the leaders in this chamber know better than anyone else the challenges of this harmony and it's been easily won. No, it hasn't. It has not been. It's been so tough, but it has been some say a miracle.

What you've done is a miracle. Look at your size, look at your chances when it all started. And you know, if you think about it, you are safer today, stronger today, and more respected today than at any time in the history of Israel. Think of it. People used to say it wouldn't exist. They don't say that anymore, do they? Yet if safety, security, and coexistence can thrive here in the winding alleys and ancient paths of Jerusalem, then surely peace and respect can flourish among the nations of the broader Middle East. The God who once dwelled among His people in this city, still calls us in the words of Scripture, "The turn from evil, and do good to seek peace and pursue it." So He still whispers truth into the hills and knolls and valleys of His magnificent creation.

And He still writes hope into the hearts of His children all over the world. And that is why even after 3000 years of pain and conflict, the people of Israel have never given up from the threats of Zionism, from all sorts of threats you want, you want the promise of Zion, you want the promise of success and hope and love and God. And the people of America have never lost faith in the promise of a great and blessed future for all of us. From the very first day that modern Israel was founded, we have stood together through thick and thrin, uh, thin of, of setbacks and through victory and defeat, through glory and heartache. We have built industries together, we have made discoveries together, we have confronted evil together, and we have waged war together.

And perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together. And this week, against all odds, we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home. So now we're going to forge a future that is worthy of our heritage. We're going to build a legacy that all the people of this region can be proud of. New bonds of friendship, cooperation, and commerce will join Tel Aviv to Dubai, Haifa, to Beirut, Jerusalem to Damascus, and from Israel to Egypt, from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, from India to Pakistan, from Indonesia to Iraq, from Syria to Bahrain, Turkey, to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates to Oman and Armenia to Azerbaijan, another war that I just settled.

We are going to have hope, harmony, opportunity, and happiness here in the spiritual and geographic center of the entire world. That's what you are. Israel, America, and all of the nations of the Middle East will soon be safer, stronger, greater and more prosperous than ever before. And I want to thank you all once again for this exceptional honor. This has been truly an honor. It's, uh, seldom that a president is invited to do this. And, uh, I love Israel. I'm with you all the way. You'll be bigger, better, stronger, and more loving than ever before. Thank you very much. God bless you. God bless the United States of America, and God bless the Middle East. Thank you everybody. Good luck. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Transcript courtesy of CQ Factbase