Israeli PM nominates Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize as Gaza ceasefire talks continue

Israel’s prime minister has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement at a White House dinner, and the US president appeared pleased by the gesture.

“He’s forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other,” Mr Netanyahu said as he presented the US leader with a nominating letter.

The prize is awarded to the person who does the most for “fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

Mr Trump took credit for stopping Iran and Israel’s “12-day war” last month, announcing it with fanfare on Truth Social, and the ceasefire has so far held up.

The president also claimed US strikes had obliterated Iran’s purported nuclear weapons programme and that it now wants to restart talks.

“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to,” Mr Trump told reporters on Monday. “They want to talk.”

Iran hasn’t confirmed the move, but its president told American broadcaster Tucker Carlson his country would be willing to resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

But Masoud Pezeshkian said full access to nuclear sites wasn’t yet possible as the US strikes had damaged them so badly.

Away from Iran, fighting continues in Gaza and Ukraine.

‘Trump boasted he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours’ 

Mr Trump famously boasted before his second stint in the White House that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.

The reality has been very different; with Russia last week launching what Ukraine said was the heaviest aerial attack of the war so far.

Critics have also long claimed that President Putin is ‘playing’ his US counterpart and has no intention of agreeing a ceasefire.

However, President Trump could try to take credit for progress in Gaza if – as he’s suggested – an agreement on a 60-day ceasefire is done this week.

Indirect negotiations with Hamas are taking place that could lead to the release of some of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages and see a surge in aid to Gaza.

Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is to travel to Qatar this week to try to seal the agreement.

Whether it could open a path to a lasting peace remains uncertain, with the two sides’ criteria for peace still far apart.

President Netanyahu has said Hamas must surrender, disarm and leave Gaza – something it refuses to do.

Mr Netanyahu also told reporters on Monday that the US and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians “a better future” – and indicated those in Gaza could move elsewhere.

“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” he added.