Netanyahu, UAE Crown Prince Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nominated Tuesday for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the recent normalization deals between Israel and Arab states.

Lord David Trimble, himself a prize laureate, submitted Netanyahu’s nomination together with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“Lord Trimble, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Since Netanyahu was nominated by a prize laureate, the committee is required to convene to consider the nomination.

The Nobel Committee was slated to consider Netanyahu regardless, over two separate nominations by Italian parliamentarian, Paolo Grimoldi and Finnish lawmaker Vilhelm Junnila.

I presented the candidacy of @netanyahu for the #NobelPeacePrize. Why?
1) Pacification with UAE
2) Pacification with Bahrain
3) Dialogue with KSA & opening of Saudi airspace to Israeli aircraft producing debates on mutual recognition.Historic! Thanks to Trump as well! @Israel pic.twitter.com/1EJc4GKoXU

— Paolo Grimoldi (@GrimoldiPaolo) September 16, 2020

All three nominations are for the 2021 award, the winner of which will only be announced in October 2021.

In September, President Donald Trump was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the normalization deals his administration brokered.

Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, submitted the nomination. He praised Trump for his efforts at striving for peace not just in the Middle East but on a global level.

Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a "breakthrough for peace," adding: "A new era has opened in Israel's relations with the Arab world." https://t.co/cGabFFHtM0

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) August 14, 2020

Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu announced plans to visit Bahrain “soon” at the invitation of the Gulf state’s Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa.

“I spoke now with the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,” said Netanyahu in a statement Tuesday morning. “It was our second conversation, and it was very coridial.”

“We are both very excited by the fact that we are able to bring the fruits of peace to our two peoples and our countries in the very near future.”

“Therefore, he invited me to come for an official state visit in Bahrain in the near future, which I will do.”