Kari Lake, the former Republican candidate for governor and a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, voiced her opinion on Tuesday, claiming that Trump merits a Nobel Peace Prize.
Lake’s statement was a reaction to an article from the conservative news source, The Federalist, penned by Abraham Hamadeh. The previous year, both Lake and Hamadeh, having secured Trump’s endorsement, faced narrow defeats in their bids for the roles of Arizona’s governor and attorney general respectively. The duo have been notable for their persistent legal challenges regarding these defeats. Lake was defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs by a margin of about 17,000 votes, and Hamadeh lost to Democrat Kris Mayes by just under 300 votes.
Hamadeh’s article emphasized Trump’s role in facilitating the Abraham Accords, a landmark peace agreement in the Middle East, and made the case for his deserving the Nobel Peace Prize. This agreement, sealed at the White House on September 15, 2020, had Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates formally recognize Israel’s sovereignty and initiate diplomatic ties. Later on, Sudan and Morocco also became part of the accords.
Though Trump was put forth as a contender for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize because of his involvement in the Abraham Accords, the award was given to the United Nations’ World Food Programme.
Hamadeh stated in his article that had someone other than Trump, like President Joe Biden, played a role in the Abraham Accords, the Nobel Foundation would have undoubtedly awarded them the prize. He believes the foundation’s hesitation diminishes its own credibility and emphasizes that accolades for peace initiatives should not be biased.
In response, Lake took to the social platform X, which was formerly known as Twitter, to back Hamadeh’s viewpoint, posting, “I concur with my friend—The Abraham Accords indeed make President Trump a worthy candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
However, the Abraham Accords have evoked diverse reactions. In an analysis by the Middle East Institute think-tank on the two-year anniversary of the accords, Gerald M. Feierstein and Yoel Guzansky shared that the accords had both successes and limitations.
They acknowledged the emergence of “new defense and security collaboration opportunities” post-2020, but also pointed out some areas of inadequate cooperation. They highlighted that the Accords had not met their initial aim of enhancing the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
They mentioned that the situation could evolve with the Negev Forum focusing on bettering the lives of the Palestinians. They also observed a more measured approach by the Israelis in managing ties with the Palestinians to maintain harmony with their new Arab allies. Yet, significant improvements for the Palestinians remain largely unseen.
