Trump to become fourth US president and second Republican to address Israel’s Knesset following ceasefire deal

US President Donald Trump has departed from Joint Base Andrews en route to Israel and is scheduled to arrive on Monday morning, October 13. During his brief visit, he is expected to address the Knesset, which will make him the fourth American president to ever speak before the country’s parliament. He is also expected to meet with the families of hostages, The Times of Israel confirmed, citing an Israeli official.

Before boarding Air Force One, Trump told reporters that those affected by the Israel-Hamas war are celebrating the ceasefire deal he helped broker. “There are 500,000 people yesterday and today in Israel and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody’s cheering at one time — that’s never happened before," NBC quotes Trump.

Who were other presidents that addressed the Israeli parliament?

Trump visited Israel in May 2017 in his first term as president and became the first sitting president to visit Jerusalem's Old City but did not address the Knesset. Before him Jimmy Carter, bill Clinton and George W. Bush addressed the Knesset.

• Jimmy Carter (Democrat) – Visited Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on March 10–13, 1979, for a state visit. He met with President Navon and Prime Minister Begin and delivered a speech to the Knesset.
  
  
• Bill Clinton (Democrat) – Visited Jerusalem on October 27–28, 1994, where he met with senior Israeli officials and addressed the Knesset.
  
  
• George W. Bush (Republican) – Visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Masada from May 14 to 16, 2008. He met with President Peres and Prime Minister Olmert, addressed the Knesset, and commemorated Israel’s 60th anniversary.
  

Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6, 2017, and announced plans to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Who is visiting Israel with Trump this time?

Key Trump administration and White House officials accompanying him include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, State Department chief of protocol Monica Crowley, and White House aides Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino, Steven Cheung, Karoline Leavitt, and Will Scharf, confirms NBC news.

Trump's visit to the country comes as Israel prepares to receive the hostages as part of the deal, after they have been held captive by Hamas since the October 7, 2023, attacks.