American right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro praised US President Donald Trump for the deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas, calling it “extraordinary,” while speaking to The Jerusalem Post at the event ahead of Trump’s speech at the Knesset on Monday.
“There are many reasons that God spared his life when he was nearly assassinated, and this is just one of them,” Shapiro said.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable thing for the State of Israel,” Shapiro told the Post.
“The president of the United States has done extraordinary, extraordinary work – historic,” he said.
Former United States ambassador to Israel David Friedman called the deal an answer to the nation’s prayers, while speaking to the Post before the speech.
“It’s what we’ve prayed for for two years, every single day - the whole country, the whole world,” Friedman said.
“It’s beyond description, it doesn’t happen that often that you pray for something so fervently and you see it, truly, physically come true,” he continued.
'Uniting the Jewish community in such a special way'
“It’s so incredibly moving, and it’s uniting the Jewish community in such a special way.”
“Today is a double chag [...] it’s the eve of Simchat Torah and it’s also the eve of the return of the hostages. It really is an incredible day,” Friedman concluded. Friedman served as the US ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term in office, playing a vital role in moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Friedman and Shapiro attended the address at the Knesset, along with various senior officials from Trump’s administration, including US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Trump landed in Israel as the first round of hostage releases by the terror group was underway. He had arrived for a brief day visit to make the address, and is the fourth US president to ever speak before the plenum.
All 20 living hostages were returned and reunited with their families throughout Monday after being held in captivity since the start of the war two years ago, following the October 7 Hamas attacks.