Trump's show, the Middle East peacemaker: "It's the end of terror and death."

Special Envoy to JerusalemTrump didn't miss the opportunity to capitalize on his role in the truce and made a lightning visit to Israel this Monday. Air Force One landed in Tel Aviv in the morning in front of a huge red carpet, shortly after the first Israeli hostages were released, and practically as the second group was also being released, in a calculated choreography. The President of the United States drove his limousine along the highway to Jerusalem, which remained closed all morning to let the presidential motorcade through, and delivered a triumphant 65-minute speech before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. "Today the sky is calm, the guns have fallen silent, the sirens are silent, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that finally lives in peace," he proclaimed. There is less peace in this land, but Trump doesn't care about the truth, only the headlines. The American president declared victory ("It is not just the end of the war, it is the end of an era of terror and death") and proclaimed "a new dawn for the Middle East."

The streets of Jerusalem are filled with Star-Spangled Banners alongside Israeli ones, and everywhere there is a perennial message "Thank You Mr. TrumpTrump hasn't had time to set foot in the luxurious King David Hotel, where all foreign leaders passing through Israel stay. But his fans did gather. A woman in a long dress sported a red MAGA-style cap with the slogan "Israel."Trump, the president of Peace". In any case, Trump wanted to make it clear to Netanyahu that the Gaza war is over, something the Israeli prime minister has not yet confirmed. "Israel, with our help, has achieved everything it could achieve by force of arms. It has won."

Netanyahu owes Trump for many things more than his plan for Gaza. It was the American who recognized, against international law, Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved its embassy. He also recognized, during his first term, sovereignty over the occupied Syrian territory of the Golan Heights and promoted the Abraham Accords to eventually normalize relations between Israel and the Arab countries, with the aim of burying the Palestinian cause. And more recently, in June, he supported him in the twelve-day war against Iran (as he recalled today with his "beautiful" B-2 bombers capable of dropping bombs that leave craters 60 meters deep).

Aside from giving them weapons to massacre Gaza, Trump has vetoed all UN resolutions condemning the crimes committed in Gaza, which have led the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu as a war criminal. And on the domestic front, he went to war with critical universities and institutions, relying on his presidential decree that labels any criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. For all these reasons, Netanyahu today described him as "the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House," which is no small feat. Trump defined himself: "Everyone thought I would be brutal," he said. "Hillary Clinton said I had a personality made for war. But my personality is, in reality, one for avoiding them. And it seems to be working," he said, in his characteristic tone of attacking political rivals.

"I love Israel"

During his solemn address to the Knesset, Trump proclaimed this Monday "the end of the era of terror and death" and "the beginning of an era of faith, hope, and peace." He also reiterated his praise for the Israeli prime minister to shield him from domestic criticism, which has come from far-right allies for having accepted Trump's deal and from the families of the hostages for not having done so sooner and of his own free will. He even joked that "he's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that makes him extraordinary." Trump told Netanyahu that he "will be remembered" for making peace, and not for "continuing to kill, kill, and kill." The US president congratulated him for "having the courage" to stop the massacre. Accustomed to flouting all diplomatic protocols, Trump also didn't hesitate to suggest to Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he pardon him for the criminal cases opened against him for corruption and other crimes: "Hey, I have an idea, President: why don't you grant him a pardon?"

During the speech, Trump occasionally took his eyes off the teleprompter to improvise: he explained the conversion of his daughter Ivanka to Judaism or how Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who was present in the room, has influenced US politics. Nor did he hesitate to attack his predecessors: Biden, he said, "has been the worst president in the history of the United States" and Obama "was no slouch."

Amid the constant applause and the exaggerated euphoria of those attending the speech, Trump became animated and felt very comfortable. And to conclude his speech, he said: "I love Israel, I will be with you until the end."

The only thing that deviated from Trump's script was the interruption by two left-wing MPs from the Joint List, a mixed Jewish-Israeli candidacy, who held up a sign reading "Recognize Palestine." Security agents removed them from the chamber while the rest of the MPs applauded, something that Trump considered "very efficient." One of the MPs, Ayman Odeh, whom the ruling parties have long been trying to expel from parliament, wrote on X: "Speeches in the Knesset do not absolve Netanyahu of crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. There are two peoples here and neither is leaving."