Gwladys Fouche
Oslo - A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the second time he has put forward the US president for the honour.
Thousands of people are eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides on the award from among several hundred nominations made every year, declined to comment.
"It is for his contribution for peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal," Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of parliament for the right-wing Progress Party, told Reuters.
President @realDonaldTrump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in brokering a historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates! pic.twitter.com/DT2I7raldt
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 9, 2020
The White House in a statement said the Abraham Accords, as the deal is known, gave cause for optimism in the Middle East.
"This peace deal is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of President Trump, and he is honoured to be considered by the Nobel Committee," the White House said.
Trump has been unable to negotiate a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, however, and a peace plan he proposed in January that heavily favoured the Israelis has not advanced in any significant way.
Tybring-Gjedde, who nominated Trump for the 2019 award for his diplomatic efforts with North Korea, said the latest nomination was also made because of the US troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Last year Trump said he deserved to be awarded the Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but he complained he probably would never get the honour. Former President Barack Obama, a nemesis of Trump, won the prize in 2009 just months into his first term in office.
Nominations for this year's award closed on January 31 and the winner will be announced on October 9 in Oslo.