NEW DELHI, Oct 9: The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday advocated for the US president Donald Trump be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Trump on the success of the Gaza peace plan that the American leader had proposed in a major step to end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
In a post on X, Mr Modi also announced he discussed India-US trade negotiations with Trump, and indicated more activity in the coming weeks. “Spoke to my friend, President Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. Also reviewed the good progress achieved in trade negotiations. Agreed to stay in close touch over the coming weeks.” the prime minister said.
Earlier in the day, Israel confirmed that all parties have signed the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The agreement in Egypt followed a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by Trump, after more than two years of war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Trump is likely to visit Jerusalem on Sunday. He has not ruled out going to Egypt and even Gaza. “The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all the hostages,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters. “Now phase one stands very clear: all of our hostages, the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday,” she said.
Under the deal, the Israeli military will withdraw from Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The deal also envisions a surge of aid into Gaza, where the UN has declared famine. The Israeli army said it was preparing to pull back troops in Gaza, in line with the agreement.
Trump’s plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and for Gaza to be ruled by a transitional authority headed by the US president himself, though these points have yet to be addressed in discussions. PM Modi’s announcement on the progress of the India-US trade negotiations comes days after Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said both nations were in continuous dialogue on the proposed bilateral trade agreement.
“We are in constant dialogue with the US (on the trade pact), and talks are on at various levels. We will give more information on this soon on how we are thinking to take it forward,” Goyal told reporters in Doha on Tuesday, adding “there is every possibility” of sticking to the November deadline to finalise the deal.
He said India’s position is to protect the interests of farmers and the dairy sector. In trade pacts with the UK, the EFTA bloc and Australia, India has protected the interests of farmers and the dairy industry, besides religious sensitivities, he said.
The US remains India’s largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade valued at $131.84 billion ($86.5 billion exports). It also accounts for about 18 per cent of India’s total goods exports, 6.22 per cent in imports, and 10.73 per cent in the country’s total merchandise trade.
Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu on Thursday said Mr Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, hours after the U.S. president announced a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. “Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!” said a post on the official X account of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel. In July this year, Mr Netanyahu had told Mr Trump that he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, handing him a nomination letter during a meeting at the White House.
(Manas Dasgupta)
