Nobel veteran hints Trump will not receive this year's prize - despite Middle East peace efforts
The US President is the bookies’ joint favourite to land the prize after playing a key role in getting Israel and Hamas to agree peace plan
A veteran of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has hinted that President Donald Trump will not win this year’s award, despite his recent efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East.
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With the Nobel Peace Prize winner announced tomorrow, the US President is the bookies’ joint favourite to land the prize after playing a key role in getting Israel and Hamas to agree to the first phase of his peace plan.
As of tonight, a ceasefire will be implemented in Gaza, with the release of the twenty living hostages, as well as the bodies of the deceased, to take place in the coming days. The exchange will also see 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and around 1,700 additional detainees returned to Gaza.
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However, Professor Henrik Syse, who was a member of the Nobel Committee during President Trump’s first term, told LBC that the decision on this year’s award was likely taken “some days ago”, meaning his wait for the prize is likely to go on.
"If something happens literally on the eve of the announcement, I don't think it's very likely that that in itself will be built into this year's Peace Prize,” Professor Syse explained.
According to Professor Syse, it is likely that if President Trump is to be rewarded for his efforts, it will not be until the Committee meets to decide 2026’s recipient.
Yet, even if peace endures, he suggests that it is not guaranteed the President will win next year’s award.
"It could also be the Nobel Committee's work to point to something that's not as prominently in the news,” he added. “It’s important that the committee also points to processes that don't get that much attention.
"And I think in some cases where the Nobel Peace process made a real difference, it's when it's been given to people, institutions, processes that have made a difference without necessarily everyone knowing.”
President Trump has made no secret of his desire to become the fifth US President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
He was nominated in both 2018 and 2020, but was snubbed on both occasions, and has frequently bemoaned the decision to award the prize to Barack Obama in 2009 - just nine months into his presidency.
Although nominations for 2025’s award closed on January 31st - less than two weeks after he was inaugurated for his second term - President Trump has secured a nomination for the third time, receiving the backing of Israel, Pakistan and Azerbaijan.