David Trimble names Israel's Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince for Nobel Peace Prize after relations breakthrough

One of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, Lord Trimble was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside the late John Hume in 1998.

As a laureate of the prize, the former Ulster Unionist Party leader is entitled to nominate candidates for the committee’s consideration.

He nominated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) military.

Their nomination by Lord Trimble comes after Israel normalised relations with Bahrain and the UAE in recent months.

However, despite their nominations by Lord Trimble, the Nobel Peace Prize committee is required to meet to consider the field of nominees.

The Israel Times reported that a meeting between Al Nahyan and Netanyahu is set to take place “soon”.

Israel and the UAE signed a historic peace agreement at the White House in September, the first agreement to be signed between Israel and an Arab country in 25 years.

Announced on August 13, the Abraham Accords is the first between a Gulf state and Israel and is expected to lead to similar agreements with other Arab countries, possible Oman or Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, another agreement was announced recently between Israel and Sudan.

In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said: “Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lord David Trimble today nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Nobel Peace Prize, together with Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince.

“Lord Trimble, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

“Pursuant to the rules of the Nobel Prize Committee, since Lord Trimble is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, his decision to submit Prime Minister Netanyahu’s candidacy will lead the committee to discuss the issue.”