On his return from Israel and Egypt to Washington, US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One. During the informal conversation, he called yesterday's day historic and noted that something was achieved that no one thought was possible.
Hamas released the last surviving Israeli hostages from Gaza yesterday, while Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian prisoners. The same day, Trump addressed the Israeli parliament, declaring that peace had come to the Holy Land, and later last night signed a document on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza with representatives of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
A promotional video was also released on the official White House channel.
Speaking about the meetings in the Middle East, Trump said he was impressed by the sight of the heads of state together in the same room, adding that the meeting was fantastic.
Trump stressed that he was welcomed with great respect in Israel, adding that he had large and friendly rallies in New York during the campaign and that the American media was surprisingly fair this time. Trump deviated from the topic to compare the size of the audience at political rallies, claiming that a normal president would attract about 300 people, while his events gather between 25.000 and 35.000 supporters, reports Index.
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"It was incredible to see the parents' faces"
"You saw the faces of those parents when their children came home. It was incredible," he said, referring to the return of the hostages.
He highlighted the release of the hostages in a particularly emotional moment, and during his speech he joked about a possible pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, promising to fight for whoever it was in order to preserve peace.
Reporters also asked him if he had warned Netanyahu in advance about the pardon joke he made during a speech in Israel.
"No, I actually told him I didn't want to mention the pardon, but it was the perfect place. It was good timing, don't you think?" Trump replied.
About the Middle East and peace
Asked about the future of the peace process, Trump said he believed something had been achieved that hadn't happened in "thousands" of years.
"This is historic. People talk about the Middle East as something that can never be solved. Everyone said it wouldn't work, and now it does."
When asked about the plan for Gaza, he replied that he was not talking about one or two states, but about the reconstruction of Gaza and rebuilding.
When a reporter asked him if it was premature to talk about peace, Trump replied: "Do you want another 300.000 or 400.000 dead? For the fighting to continue for a few more years? We did it the right way."
On Egypt, crime and domestic politics
Trump also commented on his conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over the summer, praising Egypt's tough approach to crime.
"In Cairo, you can walk in the park without anyone attacking you. They are very tough on crime," he said, adding that some American governors should be tougher, mentioning Chicago in particular.
He said that, if asked, it would be possible to solve the crime problem in Chicago as quickly as it was solved in Washington or Memphis.
Speaking about the possibility of using the Insurrection Act, he said he had the right to do so if necessary, but that he was currently winning appeals and that it might not be necessary.
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