Donald Trump’s speech marking the ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Israeli and Palestinian hostages was interrupted by a yelling protester.
The U.S president had only been addressing the Israeli parliament for a matter of seconds on Monday morning when a member of the Knesset began shouting at the president.
Two men, Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh, head of the Hadash party, and Ofer Cassif, the only Jewish lawmaker in the Arab party, held up signs reading “Recognize Palestine,” a Knesset spokesman told CNN.
“They kicked me out of the Knesset just for raising the simplest demand, one that the whole international community agrees on: Recognize the State of Palestine!” Odeh wrote in an X post. “Recognize the simple truth: There are two peoples here, and no one is going anywhere.”
The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10, with the exchange of hostages a key part of Trump’s 20-point plan. However, the arrangement does not guarantee that the U.S. will officially recognize Palestine as a state, a move which several allies, such as the U.K. and France, have taken a step towards in order to achieve a full peace deal in the Middle East.
Both men were quickly detained and removed by security, with cameras showing how irate Trump was that his speech was interrupted. “That was very efficient,” the president said about the removal of the lawmakers before continuing his talk to the Knesset.
A majority of Knesset members were supportive of the U.S. president and repeatedly chanted “Trump! Trump!” during the short disturbance.
Before the interruption, Trump had been praising U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who, alongside the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been cited as having a significant role in brokering the deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“Steve was chosen by me. He never did this before, but I knew him as a few things. He was a great businessman; he had tremendous negotiating skills, but I know a lot of people who negotiate pretty well, although it is an art. But most importantly, with Steve, he’s just a great guy. Everybody loved him,” Trump said.
“I know some negotiators that are so good, but you wouldn’t have had peace in the Middle East. You’d be in World War III right now, with some of these guys,” Trump added.
After the interruption, Trump said “so, back to Steve” before continuing his praise for the former real estate lawyer who had no experience in foreign affairs or diplomacy before being brought into the Trump administration as a Middle East envoy.
The ceasefire deal in Gaza, ending a two-year conflict, will see Hamas hand over the 20 Israeli hostages held captive since the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023. Israel will also free nearly 2,000 Palestinians from their jails, many of whom have been held without charge.
Trump declared that the ceasefire agreement was not only an end to the war, but an end to the “age of terror and death” in the Middle East.
“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,” Trump said. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told the Knesset that Trump was the “greatest friend” that Israel has ever had in the White House.
“No American president has ever done more for the state of Israel, and as I said in Washington, it ain’t even close,” Netanyahu added.
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