Among the nominations Donald Trump has received for the Nobel Peace Prize is a high-profile endorsement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While this seems like a powerful testament to his work on the Abraham Accords, the politically charged nature of the nomination and its late arrival do little to help his case for the 2025 prize and may even highlight the deal’s transactional nature.
It’s crucial to note a key procedural point: Netanyahu’s nomination, along with one from Pakistan, arrived after the February 1 deadline. This means it has no official bearing on the prize being decided this year and would only be considered for the 2026 cycle. The only relevant nomination for 2025 mentioned is from U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney.
Even if the nomination were timely, an endorsement from a direct beneficiary of a diplomatic deal can be a double-edged sword for the Nobel Committee. While it confirms the deal’s importance to one party, it can also reinforce the perception that the achievement was a narrow, transactional agreement rather than a comprehensive peace breakthrough that resolved a broader conflict.
The committee seeks to reward peacemakers whose work transcends narrow national interests to serve a wider humanitarian purpose. A nomination from a close political ally who was a party to the deal in question can look less like an impartial judgment of merit and more like a political thank-you.
Ultimately, while the Netanyahu nomination makes for a good headline, its late timing and political context diminish its impact on the committee’s deliberations. They will focus on the substance of the Abraham Accords themselves and weigh them against Trump’s entire record, where his broader challenges to international cooperation loom much larger.