Leaders across the Middle East on Thursday praised President Trump for his efforts to implement the first phase of his peace plan in Gaza, as talk of a Nobel Peace Prize for the U.S. commander-in-chief grew a day ahead of its announcement.
Videos posted to social media show residents in Tel Aviv and Gaza celebrating what may be the end of the two-year Israel-Hamas war, with several chanting Mr. Trump’s name.
“Donald Trump! Donald Trump!” residents in Gaza could be heard cheering after the announcement that Israel and the Palestinian militant group had agreed to the first phase of a peace plan. In Tel Aviv, several residents flew American flags, according to images posted on social media.
“Nobel Prize to Trump,” people in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square chanted as they danced and waved American flags.
Performance artist Ila Galili stood in Hostage Square and held a large sign that read “We Love Trump” while dressed in an American flag outfit, NBC News reported.
Mr. Trump has not been shy about his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced on Friday.
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Oddspedia, a sports betting hub, said Thursday that Mr. Trump’s role in securing a deal between Israel and Hamas doubled his odds of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and declared him the favorite to win the award.
The betting site gives Mr. Trump 2-to-1 odds to win the prize. Before the peace deal’s announcement, Mr. Trump’s odds stood at 6-to-1. That vaults him ahead of the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms, which offers humanitarian aid in places where aid responses have fallen short, which has 5-to-2 odds.
Russian opposition leader Yulia Navalnaya is the third favorite at 4-to-1, followed by Doctors Without Borders at 14-to-1 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 16-to-1.
Arab leaders also praised Mr. Trump for his efforts to bring peace to the war-torn enclave and for taking a leadership role in pushing negotiations forward.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised “the effective role of His Excellency U.S. President Donald Trump,” while also thanking Qatar and Egypt, which helped mediate peace talks.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasized the Arab naiton’s “appreciation for the efforts” of Mr. Trump and “his decisive role in reaching the agreement.”
The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Affairs Ministry underscored the “prominent and important role” Mr. Trump played in the peace process.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.