President Trump said he will do a quick visit to Egypt and Israel, where he will address the country’s legislature, to do a victory lap in the region over Israel and Hamas agreeing to the first part of his ceasefire plan.
“I’ll be going to Israel. I’ll be speaking at the Knesset, I think, early on, and then I’m going to Egypt. They were terrific,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House.
Mr. Trump said he was returning to Washington Tuesday night because he’s presenting a posthumous medal of freedom to conservative icon Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last month. Kirk’s widow, Erika, will accept the award. The president did not say if the award ceremony would be Tuesday night or on Wednesday.
Mr. Trump is expected to land in Israel Monday morning, though it’s unclear if he’s leaving early Monday morning or Sunday night. A White House statement issued earlier this week suggested Mr. Trump would leave Sunday.
“It’s not easy for me to get back. It’s a very quick trip, but I’ll be making two major stops and then I’ll be on the plane trying to get back in time for Charlie,” Mr. Trump said. “They’re going to have a great celebration at the White House.”
During the trip, Mr. Trump will address the Knesset, which is the Israeli legislature, and meet the hostages who are expected to be released under the ceasefire deal he helped broker.
According to Israeli media, Mr. Trump will land at Ben Gurion Airport at 9:20 a.m. on Monday and then be welcomed with an official ceremony. He will then head straight to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver a speech. He will then head to Egypt.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire plan, Israel will stage an initial withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas is required to release the hostages, both dead and alive — 20 are believed to be alive — within 72 hours of the pullback. In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life terms.
