 "Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, hands President Donald Trump a folder during a meeting in the Blue Room of the White House, July 7, 2025, in Washington. AP")
United States President Donald Trump is being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, again. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the American leader on Monday (July 7) that he was nominating him for the prestigious award, as they met for the first time since the two countries’ joint strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Last month, Pakistan suggested the US president’s name for the award. Trump has been coveting a Nobel Peace Prize since his first term in office. He has also been nominated multiple times, but the award has evaded him.
How is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize decided? We will explain.
Israel, Pakistan nominate Trump for Nobel
Israel has nominated US President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.
During their meeting in the White House Blue Room, Netanyahu presented Trump with a nominating letter that he said he had sent to the Nobel committee hailing the US president’s efforts to end conflicts in West Asia. “He’s forging peace as we speak, one country and one region after the other," the Israeli PM said.
“I want to express the appreciation and admiration not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said before presenting the letter. “You deserve it,” he added.
Trump replied: “Thank you very much. This I didn’t know. Wow. Thank you very much. Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi.”
Israel’s nomination comes weeks after Pakistan formally recommended Trump for the honour, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” and “pivotal leadership” in May, when India and Pakistan traded strikes following Operation Sindoor.
“At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi,” Pakistan’s government said in a statement last month.
It further claimed that the US president helped in “averting a broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have had catastrophic consequences for millions of people in the region and beyond.”
“This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue.”
The US president has claimed on several occasions that he halted the “war between India and Pakistan”. India has, however, maintained that an understanding to cease fire with Pakistan was reached after direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.
Who can send nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize?
The Nobel Prize honours advancements in science, economics, literature, and the pursuit of peace. The six prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace and economics can be awarded to individuals or organisations.
Many times, both individuals and organisations have shared the coveted prize.
To win a Nobel, the person or organisation has to be nominated first.
The list of those who can recommend names to the Nobel Committee is long. Thousands of people fulfilling the criteria set by the panel can send nominations for those they believe deserve the prize.
People are not allowed to nominate themselves.
For the Nobel Peace Prize, nominations can be submitted by members of national governments and current heads of state; members of the International Court of Justice in The Hague; members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague; university professors of history, social sciences, law, philosophy, theology and religion; and former Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Current and former members as well as ex-advisers of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; members of the Geneva-based Institut de Droit International; members of the International Board of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; and directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes can also suggest names for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Committee says that thousands of potential nominators ensure a “great variety of candidates,” reported New York Times (NYT).
It has also underlined that nominations do not represent an endorsement from the group and “may not be used to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Selection process for Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Committee sends out nomination forms or invitations to “qualified nominators”. The deadline to submit names is January 31.
According to the Nobel Prize website, nominations sent after the deadline are considered in the next year’s process.
The five-member Nobel Committee and its Secretary review all valid nominations and “shortlist” candidates on whom individual reports are prepared.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee members meet regularly from mid-February through September to narrow the list of candidates to 20 to 30. The group deliberates for months before the recipient is announced in October.
The winner is picked through a simple majority vote . The deliberation and selection are done in secret. As the entire process is shrouded in secrecy, it is unclear whether Pakistan and Israel’s nominations would increase Trump’s chances of winning the award.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not reveal the nominees or those who nominated them until 50 years later.
With inputs from agencies