Ohana invites Trump to address the Knesset

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Thursday sent a letter to President Donald Trump, inviting him to address Israel’s parliament following the U.S.-brokered deal to free the 48 hostages held by Hamas and end the war in Gaza.

“Today is a historic day. Your leadership, courage, persistence and vision have led not only to a deal securing the release of all Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, but also to an unprecedented regional agreement accepted by nearly every nation in the Middle East,” Ohana wrote.

The letter goes on to praise several of Trump’s actions on behalf of Israel during his first term, from 2017 to 2021, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and brokering the Abraham Accords—normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

“The people of Israel regard you as the greatest friend and ally of the Jewish nation in modern history,” Ohana wrote. “It is therefore my profound honor and privilege to officially invite you to deliver a formal address to the nation before the Knesset.”

Trump said on Thursday that the remaining hostages will be released on Monday or Tuesday under the peace agreement that the terror group signed with Israel.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Trump called the deal a “momentous breakthrough.”

The president is to arrive in the Jewish state at 9:20 a.m. on Monday for a brief visit, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

Trump will be greeted with a welcome ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport before heading to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver an address ahead of the Simchat Torah holiday, which begins on Monday evening.

Trump had hoped to arrive on Sunday, but logistical constraints related to preparing for a presidential visit precluded that, the report said.