The US president is going to be the first non-Israeli to get the country’s highest civilian honor, breaking a tradition that has lasted for decades
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared plans to give the Israel Prize, which is the country’s highest civilian honor, to US President Donald Trump. This will be the first time this award is given to a non-Israeli or a current foreign head of state.
Speaking after a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, Netanyahu said the decision shows “overwhelming sentiment” in Israel about the US president’s support for the nation. The announcement breaks a 72-year tradition of honoring Israeli citizens for their excellence and comes after Trump was left off the Nobel Peace Prize shortlist in October.
“President Trump has broken so many conventions,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel had thus decided to “break a convention, too.”
Trump, a close ally of Netanyahu and a strong supporter of Israel, called the award “surprising and very much appreciated.” While the Israel Prize usually requires recipients to be citizens or residents of Israel for at least three years before nomination, there is an exception for those who have made a “special contribution towards the Jewish people,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
In October, Netanyahu praised Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend ever” after Hamas released the last 20 surviving hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attacks, as part of a Gaza peace deal made possible by the US leader and his team.
Before his meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Trump claimed that “almost every hostage released was because of my efforts… none were released during the Biden administration.” However, 107 hostages were freed in 2023 when Joe Biden was president, and another 33 were returned in early 2025 under a deal negotiated before the end of Biden’s term.
In different speeches and interviews, Trump has stated that he has “stopped eight wars,” positioning himself as someone who can uniquely bring order to global conflicts through his personality and negotiating skills.