Lord Trimble, former First Minister of Northern Ireland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate nominated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a statement in November 2020.
The statement noted that "Lord Trimble believes their work towards achieving peace in the Middle East, embodied in the Abraham Accords bringing normalisation between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan, deserves recognition by the Norwegian Nobel Committee." He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998 for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland which led to the Good Friday Agreement in the 1990s.
The statement also says that "Lord Trimble calls upon world governments and international institutions including the UN and EU to play their parts by supporting and advancing the foundations laid by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Crown Prince bin Zayed and the others involved in the Abraham Accords."
I am confident that neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor Crown Prince bin Zayed will suffer the same fate due to the comprehensive quality of their endeavour and the wide-ranging support it enjoys.
The full statement by Lord Trimble follows;
As a Nobel Peace Prize laureate I am nominating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their historic achievements in advancing peace in the Middle East. President Donald Trump has already been nominated for the prize for his contributions to this cause, and I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu and Crown Prince bin Zayed merit equal recognition along with the President. I make this nomination with full recollection of these men’s predecessors in the endeavour for peace between Arabs and Israelis: Egyptian President Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, whose achievements were recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee.
Tragically President al-Sadat and Prime Minister Rabin were assassinated as a result of their work for peace. I am confident that neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor Crown Prince bin Zayed will suffer the same fate due to the comprehensive quality of their endeavour and the wide-ranging support it enjoys.
Despite decades of intensive efforts, until now peace between Israel and Arab nations has proved elusive. Four major wars have been fought between Israel and Arab states, and Israel has been subjected to countless terrorist attacks, leading on four further occasions to major conflicts between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. In the 72 years since the foundation of the modern State of Israel in 1948, until recently only two Arab countries made peace with Israel: Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. In the last few weeks, three more countries, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of the Sudan have all agreed to normalise relations with Israel: the first such peace deals in 26 years.
These far-reaching achievements are the result of the courageous leadership, diplomatic energies and relentless pursuit of peace by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Crown Prince bin Zayed. There is every likelihood that the work of these two leaders, which continues, will encourage further Middle Eastern states to join them in normalising relations, leading to much needed prosperity and peace for peoples across the region.
Although there has been resistance from the Palestinian Arab leadership, despite efforts to embrace them in this progress, I believe that the changing paradigm in the region, resulting from the Abraham Accords, stands the best possible chance to encourage the Palestinian people to reach a lasting accommodation with the State of Israel. I know from my own experience how dangerous, damaging and corrosive are decades of violent ill-will
between close neighbours and I wish for nothing more than to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I believe this comes within closer reach as a direct result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s and Crown Prince bin Zayed’s leadership.
Award of the Peace Prize will not only recognise the achievements of these men, but will also serve to encourage a widening and deepening peace in the Middle East. I strongly urge governments everywhere and international bodies such as the United Nations and European Union to play their own roles by supporting and advancing the foundations laid by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Crown Prince bin Zayed and the others involved
in the Abraham Accords.
It is signed:
Trimble of Lisnagarvey
House of Lords
20th November 2020.
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