Untitled Document

[00:00:03] Trump's in the door. [00:00:19] >> Mr. President, should we expect a deal [00:00:21] today? [00:00:27] from Afghanistan. [00:00:41] >> Mr. President, do we have a deal? [00:00:44] >> Are you confident, sir, there'll be [00:00:45] peace in Gaza anytime soon? [00:00:49] >> The 21point plan. Is everyone on board? [00:00:52] >> Will we have a deal today, Mr. [00:00:54] President? [00:00:54] >> Mr. Prime Minister, have you agreed to [00:00:56] the deal? [00:01:30] She approach. [00:01:47] No, he's taking more water. [00:01:54] Serious. [00:02:51] Ladies and gentle Gentlemen, the [00:02:53] President of the United States and the [00:02:55] Prime Minister of the State of Israel. [00:03:11] Thank you very much everybody. [00:03:15] So this is a big big day, a beautiful [00:03:17] day, potentially one of the great days [00:03:21] ever in civilization. [00:03:24] Things that have been going on for [00:03:27] hundreds of years and thousands of [00:03:29] years. We're going to [00:03:32] at least we're at a minimum very very [00:03:34] close and I think we're beyond very [00:03:35] close. And I want to thank BBI for [00:03:38] really getting in there and doing a job. [00:03:41] We've worked well together. [00:03:44] as we have with many other countries, [00:03:46] both of us, with many other countries, [00:03:47] which is the only way this whole [00:03:50] situation gets solved. And I'm not just [00:03:53] talking about Gaza. Gaza is one thing, [00:03:54] but we're talking about much beyond [00:03:56] Gaza. [00:03:58] The whole deal, [00:04:00] everything getting solved. It's called [00:04:02] peace in the Middle East. [00:04:06] So, today is a historic day for peace. [00:04:09] and Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have [00:04:12] just concluded an important meeting on [00:04:14] many vital issues including Iran trade, [00:04:18] the expansion of the Abraham Accords, [00:04:22] and most importantly, we discussed how [00:04:24] to end the war in Gaza. But it's just a [00:04:29] part of the bigger picture, which is [00:04:32] peace in the Middle East, and let's call [00:04:34] it eternal peace in the Middle East. [00:04:38] So, this is uh far more than anybody [00:04:41] expected, but the the level of support [00:04:43] that I've had from the nations [00:04:46] in the Middle East and surrounding [00:04:48] Israel and neighbors of Israel has been [00:04:51] incredible. Incredible. Every single one [00:04:53] of them. This afternoon, after extensive [00:04:56] consultation with our friends and [00:04:58] partners throughout the region, I'm [00:05:00] formally releasing our principles for [00:05:02] peace, which people have really liked, I [00:05:04] must say. And these are done not just [00:05:08] routinely done. These are done with uh [00:05:11] total in total consideration and working [00:05:13] with the nations that we're talking [00:05:16] about. All of these nations have made [00:05:20] contributions to those suggestions. I [00:05:23] want to thank the leaders of many Arab [00:05:24] and Muslim nations for their tremendous [00:05:27] support in developing the proposal along [00:05:30] with many of our allies in Europe. [00:05:32] Europe has been very much involved and [00:05:35] as I was called by many of the European [00:05:37] leaders, most of them saying, "Is this [00:05:40] true? Are you really doing peace in the [00:05:43] Middle East? This is the most incredible [00:05:45] thing we've heard." Some think it's the [00:05:47] biggest thing they've ever heard. They [00:05:49] called just to find out. Was it just a [00:05:51] rumor or is it actually done? And then [00:05:54] they said, "Have you spoken to the Arab [00:05:56] leaders? Have you spoken to the all of [00:05:58] the other leaders that we have to get a [00:06:00] lot of people involved in this one? I [00:06:02] also want to thank Prime Minister [00:06:04] Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and [00:06:07] for trusting that if we work together, [00:06:09] we can bring an end to the death and [00:06:12] destruction that we've seen for so many [00:06:14] years, decades, even centuries, and [00:06:17] begin a new chapter of security, peace, [00:06:19] and prosperity for the entire region. [00:06:21] And I want to uh just say that my [00:06:25] meetings [00:06:26] and dialogue that we had with uh so many [00:06:30] countries uh Saudi Arabia as an example [00:06:32] the king is a phenomenal person [00:06:36] the amir of Qar who's these are [00:06:39] incredible people [00:06:42] and that's NBZ and ABC [00:06:46] we've totally involved these are the [00:06:48] people that we've been dealing with and [00:06:51] who've been actually very much involved [00:06:53] in this negotiation giving us ideas [00:06:56] things they can live with things they [00:06:57] can't live with pretty complex I mean [00:07:01] after 2,000 3,000 years whatever it is I [00:07:04] guess it's got to be a little complex or [00:07:05] it would have been done a long time ago [00:07:08] the king of Jordan was with us as you [00:07:10] know in the United Nations [00:07:14] president of Turkey President Erdogan is [00:07:18] a friend of mine strong man but a good [00:07:21] man, president of Indonesia, somebody [00:07:25] who's an amazing leader, [00:07:29] POW. He is an amazing leader and uh [00:07:33] respected by everybody. He was in the [00:07:36] room with us. We were together with most [00:07:39] of these people that I'm mentioning. [00:07:40] Others were by phone or the next day [00:07:45] the prime minister and the field marshal [00:07:47] of Pakistan. [00:07:50] They were with us right from the [00:07:53] beginning. Incredible. In fact, they [00:07:55] just put out a statement that they fully [00:07:57] believe in this pack. It just came out [00:08:00] just as I was walking around. They said, [00:08:02] "Sir, you have a big notice from uh the [00:08:06] prime minister of Pakistan and from the [00:08:08] field marshall that they back this 100%. [00:08:12] President LCC of Egypt who's terrific." [00:08:15] And uh these are people I've gotten to [00:08:17] know over the years. I mean, it's I [00:08:20] would say it started around 2015 and [00:08:23] then went into 2016 when the presidency [00:08:26] began, officially began, but I've known [00:08:28] them actually for a long time and [00:08:31] they're in many cases really great men. [00:08:33] I can't say in all cases, but I will [00:08:35] tell you in many cases they're great men [00:08:37] and some great women too. They tend to [00:08:40] be mostly men, however, I will say that. [00:08:43] But if accepted by Hamas, his proposal [00:08:46] calls for the release of all remaining [00:08:49] hostages immediately, but in no case [00:08:54] more than 72 hours. So the hostages are [00:08:57] coming back. And I hate even saying this [00:09:00] from the standpoint [00:09:02] doesn't sound right, but it is so [00:09:05] important to the parents, the bodies of [00:09:09] the young men. I believe in almost all [00:09:11] cases the young men [00:09:14] uh are coming back immediately. [00:09:17] I met with parents. Their parents felt [00:09:20] as strongly about getting their [00:09:23] the body of their dead boy back as they [00:09:26] did as though the boy were alive and [00:09:28] well. [00:09:30] It's so important to them and it means [00:09:33] the immediate end to the war itself. Not [00:09:37] just Gaza, [00:09:39] it's the war itself. Under the plan, [00:09:42] Arab and Muslim countries have committed [00:09:46] and in writing in many cases, but I [00:09:48] actually would take their word for it. [00:09:50] The people I mentioned, I take their [00:09:51] word for it, to demilitarize Gaza, and [00:09:55] that's quickly [00:09:58] decommission the military capabilities [00:10:00] of Hamas and all other terror [00:10:03] organizations. [00:10:05] do that immediately. [00:10:07] And we're relying on the countries that [00:10:10] I named and others to deal with Hamas. [00:10:13] And I'm hearing that Hamas wants to [00:10:16] get this done, too. And that's a good [00:10:18] thing. And destroy all terror [00:10:21] infrastructure, including the tunnels, [00:10:23] weapons of [00:10:25] production facilities. They have a lot [00:10:27] of production facilities that we're [00:10:29] destroying. They'll also help uh train [00:10:33] local police forces in the areas that [00:10:37] we're discussing right now, in [00:10:40] particular in and around Gaza, working [00:10:42] with the new transitional authority in [00:10:45] Gaza. All parties will agree on a [00:10:47] timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw [00:10:50] in phases. They'll be withdrawing in [00:10:52] phases. [00:10:54] No more shooting hopefully as progress [00:10:56] is made toward achieving these goals. [00:10:59] Arab and Muslim nations need to be [00:11:01] allowed the chance to fulfill these [00:11:03] commitments of dealing with Hamas. They [00:11:06] have to deal with them because they were [00:11:08] the one group that we have not dealt [00:11:11] with. I haven't dealt with them. Uh but [00:11:14] the [00:11:16] Arab countries are going to and Muslim [00:11:18] countries are going to be dealing with [00:11:21] Hamas and I believe they've already been [00:11:24] there. I think they probably have an [00:11:25] understanding and they haven't maybe [00:11:28] mentioned that. But I would imagine they [00:11:30] do otherwise they wouldn't have gone as [00:11:32] far as they've gone. If they're unable [00:11:34] to do so then Israel would have the [00:11:36] absolute right and actually our full [00:11:39] backing us full bank backing. Marco's [00:11:42] here and a lot of our leaders are here [00:11:44] our great vice president Susie Wilds [00:11:47] Steve Witkoff Jared Kushner they've been [00:11:50] so involved in this uh in this process. [00:11:54] I don't think anybody else could have [00:11:55] done it or even even come close. But [00:11:58] it's uh we're we're right there. We're [00:12:00] right there. First time in [00:12:03] thousands of years. I think you can [00:12:05] probably say if you really look into it, [00:12:07] if you study back, if you if you're a [00:12:09] scholar, you would say thousands of [00:12:12] years. Israel [00:12:14] would have my fall back into finish the [00:12:16] job of destroying the threat of Hamas. [00:12:22] But I hope that we're going to have a [00:12:25] deal for peace. [00:12:27] And uh if Hamas rejects the deal, which [00:12:30] is always possible, they're the only one [00:12:32] left. Everyone else has accepted it. But [00:12:35] uh I have a feeling that we're going to [00:12:37] have a positive answer. But if not, as [00:12:40] you know, BB, you'd have more full [00:12:42] backing to do what you would have to do. [00:12:46] Everyone understands that the ultimate [00:12:48] result must be the elimination of any [00:12:50] danger posed in the region [00:12:54] and that danger is caused by Hamas. The [00:12:58] tyranny of terror has to end and this is [00:13:00] again uh something that we're looking [00:13:03] for. This is eternity. This is for [00:13:06] forever. [00:13:08] To ensure the success of this effort, my [00:13:11] plan calls for the creation of a new [00:13:14] international oversight body, the board [00:13:16] of peace. We call it the board of peace. [00:13:18] Sort of a beautiful name, the board of [00:13:21] peace, which will be headed not at my [00:13:26] request. Believe me, I'm very busy. But [00:13:29] we have to make sure this works. [00:13:32] uh the leaders of the Arab world and [00:13:35] Israel and everybody involved asked me [00:13:38] to do this. So it would be headed by a [00:13:40] gentleman known as President Donald J. [00:13:42] Trump of the United States. That's what [00:13:44] I want this some extra work to do. But [00:13:49] it's so important that I'm willing to do [00:13:51] it and we'll do it right and we're going [00:13:54] to put leaders from other countries on [00:13:56] and leaders that are very distinguished [00:13:57] leaders and we'll have a board and one [00:14:00] of the people that wants to be on the [00:14:02] board is the UK former prime minister [00:14:05] Tony Blair. Good man, very good man and [00:14:09] uh some others and they'll be named over [00:14:11] the next few days and it'll be quite the [00:14:14] board working. Everybody wants to be on [00:14:17] it now. [00:14:19] I don't know if that had anything to do. [00:14:21] They named me and everybody else wanted [00:14:23] to be on it. I guess they figure, well, [00:14:25] he's a soft touch. He'll be easy to deal [00:14:27] with. Working with the World Bank and [00:14:30] others that will be responsible for [00:14:31] recruiting and training a new government [00:14:34] that will be made up of Palestinians [00:14:37] along with highly qualified experts from [00:14:39] all around the world. Hamas and other [00:14:42] terrorist factions will play no role in [00:14:45] the board, but uh they'll play no role [00:14:49] in the governance of Gaza at all, [00:14:52] directly or indirectly. As you know, [00:14:55] thousands of Hamas [00:14:58] leaders have been killed and and [00:15:01] soldiers have been killed, and we can [00:15:04] never forget October 7th. But thousands [00:15:08] have paid the price for that. And now [00:15:11] it's time to get our hostages back and [00:15:13] get back to [00:15:15] trying to build something that's really [00:15:17] great and very important. In our meeting [00:15:18] today, Prime Minister Netanyahu is very [00:15:20] clear about his opposition [00:15:23] to a Palestinian state [00:15:26] and he continuously mentions October 7th [00:15:29] and I understand that most people do and [00:15:33] I understand and respect [00:15:35] his position on many things, but what [00:15:37] he's doing today is so good for Israel. [00:15:40] I notice that they have large crowds [00:15:42] gathering in Israel all the time and [00:15:44] they have my name up. They like me for [00:15:46] whatever reason, baby, I don't know. But [00:15:47] they do like me. But uh they say two [00:15:51] things. Please get the hostages back and [00:15:54] please end the war. They've had it. It's [00:15:57] had it. So I think it's a very popular [00:15:59] thing you do because he's a warrior. He [00:16:02] doesn't know about uh getting back to a [00:16:05] normal way of life. But he is a warrior [00:16:08] and Israel's lucky to have him. But now [00:16:11] the people want to get back to peace. [00:16:12] They want to get back to normalization [00:16:15] in a true sense. Several countries have [00:16:18] foolishly recognized the Palestinian [00:16:21] state. As you know, some of our European [00:16:23] friends, allies, good people, but [00:16:26] they're really, I think, doing that [00:16:28] because they're very tired of what's [00:16:30] going on for so many decades. They've [00:16:32] been presidents and prime ministers for [00:16:35] years. And during this time having to do [00:16:38] with the Middle East, all they're doing [00:16:39] is talking about the same thing over and [00:16:41] over. They want to see it get back and [00:16:43] nobody wants wants that more than me or [00:16:46] I believe BB too. But the people of [00:16:48] Israel want it. They really want it. [00:16:50] They want the hostages back. That [00:16:53] includes the probably 32 bodies that [00:16:56] we're talking about. 20 people that are [00:16:58] living, 32 or so people that are dead [00:17:02] and they want to have peace. So let us [00:17:05] not forget how we got here. Hamas was [00:17:08] elected by the Palestinian people. [00:17:11] Israel withdrew from Gaza thinking they [00:17:13] would live in peace. Remember that a [00:17:15] long time ago they withdrew. They said, [00:17:18] "You take it. This is our contribution [00:17:21] to peace." But that didn't work out. [00:17:23] That didn't work out. It was the [00:17:25] opposite of peace. They pulled away. [00:17:28] They let them have it. And I never [00:17:31] forgot that because I said, "That [00:17:33] doesn't sound like a good deal to me as [00:17:36] a real estate person. I mean, they gave [00:17:38] up the ocean, right, Ron? They gave up [00:17:41] the ocean." They said, "Who would do [00:17:43] this deal?" [00:17:45] And it still didn't work out. They were [00:17:46] very generous, actually. And they gave [00:17:49] up the most magnificent piece of land in [00:17:52] many ways in the Middle East. And they [00:17:53] said, "All we want to do now is have [00:17:55] peace." And uh that was that request was [00:17:58] not honored. Instead of building a [00:18:00] better life for the Palestinians, Hamas [00:18:03] diverted resources to build over 400 [00:18:05] miles of tunnels and terror [00:18:07] infrastructure, rocket production [00:18:09] facilities, and hid their military [00:18:11] command posts and launch sites in [00:18:14] hospital, schools, and mosques. So, if [00:18:16] you went after them, uh you'd be after [00:18:19] them and you wouldn't even realize you [00:18:21] ended up knocking out a hospital or [00:18:22] school or a mosque. [00:18:25] A terrible thing. terrible, terrible way [00:18:28] to have to fight. No fight is good, but [00:18:30] that's a real bad one. So, there are [00:18:32] many Palestinians who wish to live in [00:18:35] peace. Many, many of many, I've seen so [00:18:38] many of them, and they have support. And [00:18:43] I challenge the Palestinians to take [00:18:45] responsibility for their destiny because [00:18:47] that's what we're giving them. We're [00:18:48] giving them responsibility [00:18:51] for their destiny. fully condemn and [00:18:53] prohibit terrorism and earn their way to [00:18:56] a brighter future. They don't want the [00:18:59] life that they've had. They've had a [00:19:01] rough life with Hamas. If the [00:19:03] Palestinian Authority does not complete [00:19:05] the reforms that I laid out, my vision [00:19:08] for peace in 2020, they'll have only [00:19:11] themselves to blame. We're giving them [00:19:12] an amazing footprint. And they have [00:19:14] amazing support from the leaders of the [00:19:16] Arab world and the Muslim world. The [00:19:18] great great leaders. These are great [00:19:20] leaders. These are unbelievable leaders [00:19:22] that have built great countries and very [00:19:24] wealthy countries. [00:19:26] What the future holds for the [00:19:27] Palestinians, no one really knows. But [00:19:29] the plan that we put forward today is [00:19:32] focused on ending the war immediately. [00:19:34] Getting all of our hostages back, [00:19:37] getting everything back. Hard to believe [00:19:41] when you even say it. And creating [00:19:44] conditions for durable Israeli security [00:19:47] and Palestinian success. Israeli [00:19:50] security is going to be involved. We're [00:19:51] going to help you. We'll be there with [00:19:54] you in terms of helping with security. [00:19:57] We want to make sure it works. We just [00:19:59] want to make sure it works. There [00:20:00] shouldn't be a a shot fired. Now, there [00:20:02] will be, I guess, because that's the way [00:20:03] it seems to be, but there shouldn't have [00:20:06] to be within a few days. There shouldn't [00:20:07] have to be a shot fired. [00:20:10] Maybe for eternity. Wouldn't that be [00:20:13] nice? I hope it's true. I can tell you [00:20:16] the leadership of that region feels that [00:20:18] there's a good chance of it being true. [00:20:21] So this will lead to a this agreement [00:20:24] that we're talking about will lead to a [00:20:25] sustainable long-term peace. No [00:20:29] president in history has been a greater [00:20:31] friend of the state of Israel than I [00:20:33] have in addition to negotiating the [00:20:36] Abraham Accords. I like to say it that [00:20:39] way because the real people that's what [00:20:42] they call Abraham. I would say Abraham, [00:20:46] but it's so much nicer when you say [00:20:47] Abraham. [00:20:50] So much more elegant. [00:20:52] But the Abraham Accords, they're [00:20:54] amazing. Jared, you did that along with [00:20:57] your group of geniuses [00:20:59] and nobody thought that could be done. [00:21:01] We have four countries and sleepy Joe [00:21:03] Biden didn't do a thing. He didn't even [00:21:04] know what the hell they were. He should [00:21:06] have had them fold up. But I think this [00:21:08] will also lead to packing them. And who [00:21:11] knows, maybe even Iran can get in there. [00:21:13] I I hope we expect we hope we're going [00:21:16] to be able to get along with uh [00:21:19] Iran. I think they're going to be open [00:21:22] to it. I really believe that. But they [00:21:24] could be a member. I long ago said I'll [00:21:26] bet you at some point Iran will be a [00:21:29] member of the accords. And little did I [00:21:32] realize it was going to take this turn. [00:21:34] That was some turn we did with the B2s. [00:21:38] But uh I think they might very well be [00:21:42] there because it's a great thing for [00:21:43] them economically. I recognized the [00:21:46] eternal capital of Israel. I opened the [00:21:50] American embassy in Jerusalem. That was [00:21:52] something that everyone said would never [00:21:53] be done, could never be done. Every [00:21:56] virtually every president for many, many [00:21:58] years, for decades, [00:22:00] would campaign on making Jerusalem the [00:22:04] capital of Israel. They campaign they [00:22:06] campaigned on it over and over. Is that [00:22:08] right, Steve? Is that right? Everyone. [00:22:10] And when they got to it, and I [00:22:11] understand why now, because uh it was so [00:22:16] when I got to office, I campaigned on [00:22:18] it, too. I said, "We're going to make [00:22:19] it." And then I'd get calls from the [00:22:20] leaders of various countries saying, [00:22:22] "Please don't do it. Please don't do it. [00:22:24] It'll end the whole world. Please don't [00:22:26] do it." And finally, I just didn't say [00:22:29] anything. And I did it. [00:22:32] People were calling me before I did it [00:22:33] because I heard I was going to do it. [00:22:34] and leaders of countries were calling me [00:22:37] and I think it was on a Thursday that I [00:22:39] did it and they'd call me Monday, [00:22:42] Tuesday, Wednesday, three, four times a [00:22:44] day and I said tell them I'll call them [00:22:45] back on Friday and I announced it on [00:22:48] Thursday and I called them back the [00:22:51] biggest people in the world and they [00:22:52] said you've done it. I said done what? [00:22:56] You've made the capital of Israel [00:23:00] Jerusalem and we wanted to talk. I Oh, I [00:23:04] wish you called me a little sooner. [00:23:05] Maybe I could have done something about. [00:23:07] So, that was a lot easier than getting [00:23:10] into an argument because I knew what [00:23:12] they were calling about. And you know [00:23:14] what? It turned out to be amazing. [00:23:16] Everybody thought it was going to lead [00:23:18] to the end of the world, right? The end [00:23:20] of the world, Ron. That's what they [00:23:22] said. It didn't lead to anything. It [00:23:25] just led to something that I promised [00:23:26] and something that was very very popular [00:23:29] for uh Jewish people and a lot of other [00:23:32] people too. I recognized Israeli [00:23:35] sovereignty over the Golan Heights and I [00:23:38] cut taxpayer funding to the corrupt [00:23:40] United Nations relief and works agency [00:23:44] and United Nations was interesting [00:23:45] because [00:23:47] as you know a few days ago they [00:23:48] introduced me. Ladies and gentlemen, the [00:23:51] president of the United States. I'm [00:23:53] looking at my teleprompter and the thing [00:23:54] was dead, stone cold, dead. The thing's [00:23:58] up here. I have a long beautiful speech [00:24:00] to make. I'm back [00:24:03] 30 ft back and I'm saying [00:24:07] they're introducing me. There's nothing [00:24:08] on my teleprompter. [00:24:11] So, but I made a speech. I actually got [00:24:13] good marks. You think Biden could have [00:24:15] done that? I don't think so. I don't [00:24:17] think he could have done that. And I [00:24:18] don't think too many people could have [00:24:19] done it, but actually it was actually [00:24:21] more of a speech from my heart. If you [00:24:23] want to know the truth, I think it was [00:24:25] it was uh maybe better in certain ways [00:24:28] because it was from the heart. It has to [00:24:30] be from the heart, otherwise you're in [00:24:31] big trouble. [00:24:33] But I cut taxpayer payer funding for [00:24:37] that very corrupt United Nations relief [00:24:40] and works agency. And nobody thought [00:24:42] that would be done and withdrew from the [00:24:45] horrible Iran nuclear deal that was [00:24:47] imposed upon Israel by Barack Hussein [00:24:51] Obama [00:24:52] and Biden. And I don't think Biden knew [00:24:55] anything about it though. I don't think [00:24:57] he knows anything about it now. [00:24:58] Actually, if you ask him, he said, "What [00:25:00] is that?" and we obliterated Iran's [00:25:03] nuclear enrichment capacity, making it [00:25:06] impossible for them to have a nuclear [00:25:07] weapon, which they would have had [00:25:09] probably in about two months from then. [00:25:12] But I've never asked Israel to [00:25:15] compromise its security. But we had big [00:25:18] strong talk. Nobody's been better to [00:25:20] Israel. No president's been better to [00:25:22] Israel than Donald Trump. But we had a [00:25:25] long strong talk, BB and I, and he [00:25:27] understands it's time. It's time. [00:25:29] History has shown. And the people of [00:25:31] Israel want it. And the people of the [00:25:33] Middle East want it. The people of [00:25:36] enemies of Israel want it. But they [00:25:38] don't have really too many enemies right [00:25:40] now. And you know what? Many countries [00:25:43] have gained great respect for Israel, [00:25:45] for the way they fight, for the job they [00:25:47] do, including me. I had respect anyway, [00:25:50] but they gained respect. History has [00:25:52] shown us that those who have relations [00:25:55] with Israel have thrived [00:25:57] while those who have devoted resources [00:26:00] and attention toward the destruction and [00:26:02] even annihilation of Israel have [00:26:05] languished. They haven't done well. [00:26:08] Israel is not going anywhere. They're [00:26:10] going to coexist with other people and [00:26:14] countries in the region from Syria to [00:26:17] Lebanon to Saudi Arabia. The promise of [00:26:20] a new Middle East is so clearly within [00:26:22] our reach. This is the closest we've [00:26:24] ever come to real peace, not fake peace, [00:26:26] not political [00:26:28] fools peace. If we can get this [00:26:30] difficult problem solved, the [00:26:32] opportunities for all within that vast [00:26:35] region of this world, it's a vast [00:26:38] region. It's unlimited. [00:26:41] The Abraham Accords show that all [00:26:45] countries are better off when they [00:26:47] communicate and work together and [00:26:49] embrace new opportunities. I hope Jared [00:26:51] and Steve and Susie and Marco and Jad, [00:26:56] we have great people. I hope you guys [00:26:58] are going to work very hard to get these [00:27:00] other countries in because now they have [00:27:02] no excuse. There's no longer an excuse. [00:27:05] They were some were hesitant. And I tell [00:27:07] you, the four countries that went in, I [00:27:09] give them tremendous credit, and it's [00:27:11] worked out incredibly well for them. In [00:27:14] the same spirit, I'm pleased to report [00:27:16] that earlier today, we took another [00:27:18] important step toward greater [00:27:19] understanding of the region. A short [00:27:22] time ago, we had a historic phone call [00:27:24] in the Oval Office with [00:27:26] Prime Minister Tani, who's really a [00:27:31] great great person. [00:27:35] So, uh, we had a great talk and I was on [00:27:38] the phone and BB was talking. Prime [00:27:41] Minister Alani was, uh, of Qatar was, [00:27:45] uh, they really had a heart-to-heart [00:27:47] conversation. It was a great [00:27:48] conversation. I thought it was [00:27:50] productive. It was, uh, everything that [00:27:53] you need to have something turn out to [00:27:55] be successful. And I want to thank BB [00:27:57] and I want to thank the prime minister. [00:27:59] It was fantastic. We agreed to launch a [00:28:02] formal trilateral mechanism between [00:28:05] Israel, Qatar and the United States to [00:28:07] begin a dialogue to enhance mutual [00:28:09] security, correct misperceptions and [00:28:12] avoid future misgivings. And I want to [00:28:15] thank Qatar, its leadership, and the [00:28:17] Amir. He's [00:28:21] fantastic person. I think, you know, I'm [00:28:24] going to be his public relations man [00:28:25] because I know him differently than a [00:28:27] lot of people know him, but he wants [00:28:29] peace. He wants to see peace and its [00:28:32] people and they really acknowledge the [00:28:34] critical role that they've played as [00:28:36] mediator and uh again we're not quite [00:28:39] finished. We have to get Hamas but I [00:28:41] think they're going to be able to do [00:28:42] that. So now it's time for Hamas to [00:28:44] accept the terms of the plan that we've [00:28:47] put forward today. And again this is a [00:28:50] different Hamas than we were dealing [00:28:51] with because I guess over 20,000 have [00:28:54] been killed. Their leadership has been [00:28:56] killed three times over. So you're [00:28:58] really dealing with different people [00:29:00] than we've been dealing with over the [00:29:01] last four years, five years. Everyone [00:29:04] has done their part and come to the [00:29:07] table in good faith. Our Arab and Muslim [00:29:09] partners are fully prepared to step up [00:29:12] and fulfill their commitments for the [00:29:14] benefit of the people of Gaza and the [00:29:16] entire region. They're willing to step [00:29:18] up and do a lot. They really are. There [00:29:19] are a lot of good people involved. [00:29:22] Everyone who wants to see, everybody who [00:29:24] wants to see an end to the violence and [00:29:25] destruction should be united in calling [00:29:28] for Hamas to accept the extremely fair [00:29:32] proposal [00:29:34] so that we can end the war and get us [00:29:36] back our hostages right now and have [00:29:39] everlasting peace. And I look forward to [00:29:42] having uh relationships with everyone. [00:29:45] as the chairman of the board. Uh I'll be [00:29:50] involved and we'll have meetings with [00:29:52] some very smart people that'll be [00:29:54] working over there to make sure that we [00:29:56] haven't just been wasting time with an [00:29:57] agreement that doesn't get done. The [00:29:59] task of building peace will not be easy. [00:30:01] There are some of the hardest problems [00:30:04] in the world to solve and that's why [00:30:05] it's been going on for so many [00:30:08] centuries, [00:30:10] but too many lives are at stake not to [00:30:12] try. And this was more than a try. I [00:30:14] mean, I think this is something that [00:30:15] that gets done when you have every [00:30:17] virtually every country and these are [00:30:19] powerful powerful countries that have a [00:30:23] lot of money and the money can make [00:30:24] things happen. A lot of countries try [00:30:26] and they don't have any money. These are [00:30:28] very rich countries that can make things [00:30:29] happen. So together, we'll forge a much [00:30:32] safer and more hopeful future for [00:30:35] everybody, [00:30:36] including Israel. And I want to thank [00:30:39] Prime Minister Netanyahu for his [00:30:41] partnership. And I want to thank all of [00:30:43] the leaders, the the kings and the amirs [00:30:47] and the presidents and prime ministers, [00:30:50] people I mentioned and uh they've been [00:30:53] absolutely fantastic to work with and [00:30:56] it's happened very quickly. It's [00:30:57] happened from uh couple of weeks before [00:31:00] the uh I had a meeting a couple of [00:31:03] meetings but a couple of weeks before we [00:31:06] went to the United Nations and we had [00:31:08] some just we had some incredible [00:31:10] meetings. It all came to place. It all [00:31:12] took place and everybody wanted to be a [00:31:14] part of it. I don't have anybody that's [00:31:16] saying we don't want anything to do with [00:31:17] it. Just the opposite. And I'll tell [00:31:19] you, a couple of years ago, a year ago, [00:31:22] I don't think we would have had this [00:31:24] kind of participation, Mr. VP, right? I [00:31:26] don't think we would have had it's been [00:31:28] amazing. The participation was 100%. [00:31:30] Everybody wants to be a part of it. And [00:31:32] everybody, those very strong countries, [00:31:35] everybody wants it to work. So, BB uh [00:31:38] congratulations on this. This is I think [00:31:40] this will be your crowning achievement. [00:31:44] Frankly, if this all works out, we think [00:31:46] it will. It's going to be your crowning [00:31:48] achievement. And I want to thank you [00:31:49] very much for being here. Thank you. [00:31:51] Please. [00:31:51] >> Thank you. Thank you, [00:31:56] >> Mr. President. First, I want to thank [00:31:58] you for graciously hosting me once again [00:32:02] in the White House. [00:32:04] And second, I want to thank you for your [00:32:06] for your friendship and for your [00:32:09] leadership. [00:32:10] From Jerusalem to Thran, [00:32:14] from the Golan Heights to Gaza, [00:32:17] you've proven time and again what I've [00:32:19] said many times. You are the greatest [00:32:22] friend that Israel has ever had in the [00:32:24] White House. And Mr. President, you and [00:32:27] I both know [00:32:30] it's not even close. [00:32:33] While you focus at home on making [00:32:36] America great again, your leadership [00:32:39] abroad is changing the world for the [00:32:42] better, ending wars, and advancing [00:32:45] peace. [00:32:48] I believe that today we're taking a [00:32:50] critical step towards both ending the [00:32:53] war in Gaza [00:32:55] and setting the stage for dramatically [00:32:58] advancing peace in the Middle East. [00:33:02] and I think beyond the Middle East and [00:33:04] very important Muslim countries. [00:33:07] I support your plan to end the war in [00:33:09] Gaza, which achieves our war aims. [00:33:14] It will bring back to Israel all our [00:33:17] hostages, [00:33:19] dismantle Hamas's military capabilities, [00:33:22] end its political rule, and ensure that [00:33:25] Gaza never again poses a threat to [00:33:28] Israel. [00:33:32] We would not have achieved this turning [00:33:34] point [00:33:36] without the courage and sacrifice [00:33:40] of our incredibly brave soldiers. [00:33:44] They fight like lions to defend the [00:33:47] people of Israel and they serve on the [00:33:50] front line in the war between [00:33:53] civilization [00:33:54] and barbarism. [00:33:57] Mr. President, [00:34:00] when our two countries stand [00:34:02] shouldertosh shoulder, [00:34:04] we achieve the impossible. [00:34:07] Just a few months ago, in Operation [00:34:10] Rising Line and Operation Midnight [00:34:13] Hammer, we struck a decisive blow [00:34:17] against Iran's nuclear and ballistic [00:34:20] missile program. [00:34:22] Your bold decision to send those B2s [00:34:26] made the region safer [00:34:28] and the world safer. [00:34:31] Now, under your leadership, we're taking [00:34:34] the next step to win the war and expand [00:34:38] the peace. [00:34:40] Your plan is consistent with the five [00:34:42] principles my government set for the end [00:34:45] of the war and the day after kamas. [00:34:48] Everybody asked, "What is your plan for [00:34:50] the day after kamas?" Here's our plan. [00:34:53] Pass it in the cabinet. All our [00:34:56] hostages, both those who are alive and [00:34:59] those who died, [00:35:01] all of them will return home [00:35:03] immediately. [00:35:05] Kamas will be disarmed. [00:35:08] Gaza will be demilitarized. [00:35:11] Israel will retain security [00:35:12] responsibility, [00:35:14] including a security perimeter for the [00:35:17] foreseeable future. [00:35:19] And lastly, Gaza will have a peaceful [00:35:22] civilian administration that is run [00:35:24] neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian [00:35:28] Authority. [00:35:30] If Hamas agrees to your plan, Mr. [00:35:32] President, the first step will be a [00:35:34] modest withdrawal followed by the [00:35:36] release of all our hostages within 72 [00:35:39] hours. [00:35:40] The next step will be the establishment [00:35:42] of an international body charged with [00:35:45] fully disarming Hamas and demilitarizing [00:35:48] Gaza. [00:35:51] I appreciate your willingness to lead [00:35:52] the body. Mr. Mr. President, [00:35:56] I really appreciate because you have a [00:35:57] lot of things to do and this is [00:35:59] important and it reflects the the [00:36:02] confidence that this will give everyone [00:36:05] that things will be followed up on all [00:36:07] the commitments made. The fact that [00:36:09] you're taking this on, I think helps a [00:36:11] lot to make sure that everything flows [00:36:13] in the direction that we want. Now, if [00:36:15] this international body succeeds, we [00:36:18] will have permanently ended the war. [00:36:21] Israel will conduct further withdrawals [00:36:23] linked to the extent of disarmament and [00:36:26] demilitarization, [00:36:28] but will remain in the security [00:36:30] perimeter for the foreseeable future. [00:36:35] I think we should understand that we're [00:36:37] giving everybody [00:36:39] a chance to have this done peacefully, [00:36:44] something that will achieve all our war [00:36:46] objectives without any further [00:36:48] bloodshed. [00:36:50] But if Hamas rejects your plan, Mr. [00:36:52] president or if they [00:36:55] supposedly accept it and then [00:36:59] then uh basically do everything to [00:37:01] counter it, [00:37:03] then Israel will finish the job by [00:37:06] itself. [00:37:08] This can be done the easy way or it can [00:37:12] be done the hard way [00:37:14] but it will be done. We prefer the easy [00:37:18] way but it has to be done. All these [00:37:22] goals must be achieved because we didn't [00:37:24] fight this horrible fight, sacrifice the [00:37:29] finest of our young men to have kamas [00:37:32] stay in Gaza and threaten us again and [00:37:34] again and again with these horrific [00:37:37] massacres. [00:37:40] Mr. President, I was encouraged [00:37:43] by your clear statement at the UN [00:37:45] against the recognition of a Palestinian [00:37:47] state. That would be an outcome that [00:37:49] after October 7th would reward [00:37:52] terrorism, undermine security, and [00:37:55] endanger Israel's very existence. [00:37:59] As for the Palestinian Authority, I [00:38:02] appreciate your firm position that the [00:38:05] PA could have no role whatsoever in Gaza [00:38:08] without undergoing a radical and genuine [00:38:11] transformation. [00:38:12] In your 2020 peace plan, which you [00:38:15] mentioned just now, you made clear what [00:38:18] that transformation requires. It's not [00:38:20] lip service. It's not checking a box. [00:38:25] It's a fundamental, genuine, and [00:38:27] enduring transformation. [00:38:30] And that means ending pay to slay, [00:38:32] changing the poisonous textbooks that [00:38:35] teach hatred to Jews, to Palestinian [00:38:37] children, stopping incitement in the [00:38:40] media, ending lawfare against Israel at [00:38:42] the ICC, the ICJ, [00:38:45] recognizing the Jewish state, [00:38:48] and many, many other reforms. [00:38:52] It won't come as a surprise to you that [00:38:54] the vast majority of Israelis have no [00:38:56] faith that the PA Leopard will change [00:38:59] its spots. [00:39:01] But rather than wait for this miraculous [00:39:03] transformation, [00:39:05] your plan provides a practical and [00:39:07] realistic path forward for Gaza in the [00:39:10] coming years in which Gaza will be [00:39:12] administered neither by Kamas nor the [00:39:15] Palestinian Authority, but by those [00:39:17] committed to a genuine peace with [00:39:20] Israel. [00:39:22] I think this can be not only a new [00:39:24] beginning for Gaza. I think it can be a [00:39:27] new beginning for the entire region. [00:39:30] Under your leadership, we can [00:39:32] re-energize. [00:39:34] I've got to contribute my own. We can [00:39:36] re-energize the Abraham Accords. That's [00:39:39] what it's called in the original Hebrew. [00:39:41] Abraham. Abraham is fine. Abraham, [00:39:44] however you want to call it. Under your [00:39:46] leadership, Mr. president, we can [00:39:47] re-energize the Abraham Accords that we [00:39:50] forged 5 years ago. We can expand them [00:39:54] to many more Arab and Muslim nations [00:39:57] that choose moderation over extrem [00:40:00] extremism. I think there's an [00:40:01] opportunity here. [00:40:03] It's not going to be easy. It's tough [00:40:04] going, but I think if we succeed, you're [00:40:06] absolutely right. We're going to open [00:40:08] possibilities [00:40:10] that nobody even dreamed of, but I think [00:40:13] we dream of them. [00:40:16] as you've told me um Mr. president and [00:40:19] you've told the world many many times. [00:40:21] You said remember October 7th. Remember [00:40:25] October 7th and we do. We will never [00:40:29] forget the horrors of October 7th. And [00:40:33] we will do whatever is necessary to make [00:40:36] sure they don't happen again. Since [00:40:38] October 7th, Israel's enemies have [00:40:41] learned a hard truth. Those who attack [00:40:45] us pay a heavy price. [00:40:48] But those who partner with us advance [00:40:51] progress and security for their peoples. [00:40:55] President Trump just said it. It's also [00:40:57] in the Bible. It says those who will [00:40:59] bless you will be blessed and those who [00:41:01] will curse you will be cursed. And [00:41:03] that's actually what is happening. [00:41:06] We want the blessings. [00:41:08] I think we've done a lot in the past two [00:41:11] years to end the curse. We're not [00:41:13] finished, but we've done a lot and we've [00:41:16] done a lot together to end the curse. I [00:41:19] want to thank your entire team for their [00:41:21] efforts to get to this point. I [00:41:23] especially want to thank Steve Whitoff [00:41:25] and Jared Kushner for their [00:41:27] inddehaticable work to bring Israel and [00:41:30] Arab states in the region closer [00:41:32] together. I am deeply grateful to both [00:41:34] of them for their work. We had a phone [00:41:36] call today just to make it clear. I said [00:41:40] to uh the uh sorry the prime minister of [00:41:44] Qatar, Israel was targeting terrorists, [00:41:47] wasn't targeting Qatar. And of course, [00:41:49] we regretted the loss of the Qatari uh [00:41:52] citizen wasn't our target. [00:41:55] And I very much appreciate President [00:41:58] Trump's proposal to have a trilateral [00:42:01] body, [00:42:03] the United States, Israel, and Qatar to [00:42:05] work out respective grievances. There [00:42:07] are quite a few. But if we can try to [00:42:10] mitigate them or put it on a different [00:42:12] footing, I think that'll be good for [00:42:13] everyone. [00:42:15] Above all, all the people, the fine [00:42:18] team, many helpers who've done this. I [00:42:22] want to thank you, Mr. President. [00:42:24] History has already shown that under [00:42:27] your leadership, Israel and America can [00:42:30] change the face of the Middle East. And [00:42:33] today, I'm hopeful that your plan to end [00:42:35] the war in Gaza will do so again and do [00:42:39] so soon. It will free our hostages, end [00:42:42] Kamas's tyranny in Gaza, and enable a [00:42:45] more secure and prosperous future for [00:42:48] the peoples of our region. [00:42:51] Thank you, Mr. President. [00:42:54] May God bless America. [00:42:56] May God bless Israel. May God bless the [00:42:59] indispensable alliance between our [00:43:02] countries. And may I add in Hebrew [00:43:06] the Malatimata, [00:43:08] may we all be inscribed in the book of [00:43:11] life. Thank you. [00:43:14] >> Thank you very much, baby. [00:43:20] So, I think while we wait for these [00:43:22] documents to be signed and get everybody [00:43:25] in line, I think it maybe is not really [00:43:27] appropriate to take questions. I'm [00:43:30] meeting with, as you know, uh a couple [00:43:32] of Democrats in a little while about the [00:43:35] country, about uh keeping our country [00:43:37] open. Uh [00:43:40] they're going to have to do some things [00:43:42] because their ideas are not very good [00:43:45] ones are very bad for our country. So, [00:43:46] we'll see how that works out. But this [00:43:49] is something that was really historic [00:43:50] today. This was something that was [00:43:53] amazing. I I think BB I mean, depending [00:43:55] on you, u I think while we're waiting [00:43:58] for signatures and waiting for approvals [00:44:02] from a lot of different countries that [00:44:03] are involved in this, we probably [00:44:05] shouldn't take questions. Or would you [00:44:06] like to take a question or two from [00:44:08] perhaps a friendly Israeli reporter, if [00:44:10] there's such a thing? [00:44:14] Um that's a very very tough proposition [00:44:18] but I I would think Mr. President that I [00:44:20] would go by your instinct that this is u [00:44:23] we'll have enough time for questions. [00:44:25] Let's settle the issue first. I think [00:44:30] >> thank you very much. [00:44:36] [Music] [00:44:39] We have taken a lead. [00:44:43] [Applause] [00:44:57] Thank you.