Overview
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the award after a Dec. 29 meeting with President Trump in Florida.
- He said Israel is breaking an approximately 80‑year convention by granting the state’s top cultural honor to a non‑Israeli.
- Officials indicated a first‑time peace category was created for this presentation, with the ceremony expected on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day in 2026.
- The Israel Prize is typically reserved for citizens or residents, with rare exceptions linked to contributions to the Jewish people, such as conductor Zubin Mehta in 1991.
- Trump called the decision “really surprising and very much appreciated,” and the move follows FIFA’s separate, newly minted Peace Prize presented to him by Gianni Infantino.