‘I’m Committed To Peace,’ Netanyahu Declares, Calls Trump Israel’s ‘Greatest Friend’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to peace and described the end of Israel’s two-year war with Hamas and Iran-backed militias as a triumph of strength and resolve.

He spoke during a special address to the Knesset (unicameral legislature of Israel) in Jerusalem, which U.S. President Donald Trump attended.

The visit comes as Israel celebrates the release of all hostages under a landmark peace deal brokered by the United States.

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend the State of Israel has ever had in the White House,” crediting his leadership with bringing peace to the region and saving countless lives.

He said Trump’s strength of character and decisive action had ended conflicts across several parts of the world in less than a year.

“Mr President, you have proven that true peace is achieved through strength. Only those prepared to use force in the present can prevent the need to use it in the future,” Netanyahu declared.

The PM said Israel’s partnership with Trump was central to the peace agreement that fulfilled Israel’s key war objectives, the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, and the safe return of hostages.

“Mr President, you are committed to this peace; I am committed to this peace — and together we will achieve it,” he said.

Netanyahu went on to thank Trump for his long record of support for Israel, citing his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights (a rocky plateau in the Levant region of Western Asia), his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and his role in the Abraham Accords.

“Thank you, President Trump, for standing up to the lies told against Israel in the United Nations, thank you for recognising our eternal capital, Jerusalem, and for standing firmly with Israel when many others hesitated,” he said.

The Prime Minister recalled the horrors of the October 7, 2023, attacks, when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli towns and kibbutzim, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hostages, including Americans and elderly Holocaust survivors.

“We remember entire families burnt alive and young Israelis gunned down at the Nova music festival. We remember babies and grandmothers dragged into the dungeons of Gaza. These monsters took children as hostages,” he said.

He said Israel had no choice but to fight back, praising the “indomitable courage” of Israeli soldiers who fought “on the front lines of civilization and barbarism.” Nearly 2,000 Israeli troops were killed in the war, he said, half of them in direct combat.

He said, “To the families of our fallen fighters — many of them here today — I say, I know the depth of your pain. The State of Israel bows its head in eternal gratitude to our heroes. Because of them, our nation will survive, thrive, and live in peace.”

Netanyahu said the turning point in the war came with Trump’s re-election to the U.S. presidency.

“Just at that moment of maximum pressure, when the world was turning against us, a man named Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States. Netanyahu declared.

“Overnight, everything changed. With your unequivocal backing, Mr. President, we secured a new hostage deal and the conditions for lasting peace,” he added.

He described how Trump supported Israel’s final push into Gaza City and backed operations that dismantled Hamas’s remaining strongholds and Iran’s regional proxy network.

“Together, we achieved the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, and the restoration of deterrence across the region. Our enemies now understand that attacking Israel was a catastrophic mistake. They understand that Israel is strong and that Israel is here to stay,” he said.

The Prime Minister announced that he and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson would lead a campaign among global parliamentary leaders to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“There is no one more deserving than you, President Trump. Your leadership has brought an end to conflicts in no fewer than eight regions of the world in under nine months. You have saved countless lives, and you have shown that peace can only be secured through strength,” Netanyahu said.

“The Jewish people have risen from the ashes time and again. When we formed the State of Israel, we pledged: never again. Never again would we be defenseless against our enemies. That our strength is the foundation of peace,” he concluded.