President Trump will receive the Israel Prize, becoming the first non-Israeli to do so.
“We decided to break a convention, or create a new one, and that is to award the Israel Prize, which in almost our 80 years we’ve never awarded to a non-Israeli, and we’re going to award it this year to President Trump,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “This was announced formally over lunch by our minister of education, who is responsible for the Israel Prize.”
“It’s going to be awarded to President Donald J. Trump for his tremendous contributions to Israel and the Jewish people,” Netanyahu continued, calling the award “such a fitting thing.”
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch declared that he is “proud to present the Israel Prize to President Donald John Trump on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” explaining that “the prize proves the deep, eternal, and inseparable bond between the Israeli and American people.”
In a statement on X, Kisch said the “historic decision” recognizes “President Trump’s extraordinary contribution and lasting impact on the Jewish people in Israel and around the world.”
According to the award guidelines, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, candidates will be “citizens of the State of Israel, residents of the country for the last three years prior to the nomination. This is with the exception of candidates for the Israel Prize for Diaspora Jewry and/or for a special contribution to the Jewish people.”
“In special cases, it will be possible, by decision of the education minister, to award the Israel Prize to residents who have lived in the country for many years and who call this their home, even if they are not citizens,” the guidelines add.
