US President Donald Trump is awarded the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor, in absentia, at the annual Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem.
Trump was informed in December by Education Minister Yoav Kisch that he would be awarded the Israel Prize in the category of “special contribution to the Jewish people.”
Kisch signed an Israel Prize certificate in honor of the US president yesterday, declaring in a video sent to the press that he didn’t think there was “any other person who can mark such amazing achievements and a wonderful connection to the Jewish people except for Trump at this time.”
A highlight reel of Trump’s pro-Israel actions during both terms of his presidency is played at the ceremony, including footage from the announcement of the Abraham Accords in 2020, his speech in the Knesset in October last year, and his many meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the past decade.
The president is expected to visit Israel in the coming months and will be formally presented with the award at an in-person ceremony then.
Sam Sokol contributed to this report.
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