So, Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly nominating Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Because of course he is. What better way for Bibi to flatter his own ego while distracting from his horrific international reputation.
The rationale? Supposedly because of the Abraham Accords, a set of diplomatic agreements signed in 2020 during Trump’s first presidency, normalizing relations between Israel and a few Arab nations: the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. These were significant steps, no doubt. But let’s not kid ourselves, they came with arms deals, the complete sidelining of the Palestinian people, and the distinct whiff of transactional diplomacy. The ink wasn’t even dry before Trump turned the moment into a 2020 campaign asset and Netanyahu used it to flex before an audience of increasingly uneasy Israeli voters. Fast forward to 2025.
Now, before anyone panics: this nomination isn’t for this year’s Peace Prize, unless Netanyahu managed to quietly submit it before the January 31 deadline, which no one seems to believe he did. That means we’re likely talking October 2026. So, deep breath. You’ve got time to be disillusioned in stages.
Previously every time Trump’s name got mentioned in the same breath as the Peace Prize I’d feel my blood pressure spike. It offended me, not just politically, but morally. The very idea that a man who actively undermined alliances, courted despots, mocked the international order, and fanned the flames of domestic insurrection could receive that prize? It felt obscene.
But something has shifted. And it’s not because I’ve become indifferent to peace. Quite the opposite, it’s because I care so deeply about the concept of peace that I’ve decided not to look for its validation in the Nobel.
Let’s talk about the rules for a second. The Nobel Peace Prize, according to Alfred Nobel’s will, should go to the person or organization that has done “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” That’s a noble goal. But in practice? The rules are discretionary. There’s no official short list, no vetting of criminal records, no requirement for lasting peace, just significant action that someone, somewhere, thinks nudged the world in the right direction.
Eligible nominators include members of national parliaments, heads of state, university professors, and past laureates. Netanyahu, as a sitting prime minister qualifies. And if the committee wants to take it seriously, they can. Or they can file it under “we’ll pretend to read this later” and move on.
But here’s where it shifts for me. Because if this nomination is what it takes to get Trump back onside with supporting Ukraine then I’m not sure I care about the price of that bribe. Because today Trump reversed course and endorsed continued U.S. weapons aid. If dangling a gold medallion in front of him helps even a little in resisting Putin’s bloodlust, fine. Let him have the shiny object.
Because the truth is, the Peace Prize has already been handed to people with long shadows. Henry Kissinger, and Yasser Arafat, and really even Barack Obama win was aspirational more than earned. The award has always been half idealism, half geopolitics. Sometimes it celebrates courageous changemakers. Other times it gets used to slap a sauve on a festering wound and call it healing. So if that’s the game, I’m not going to rage at the players anymore.
I used to think the prize itself stood for something unshakable. But peace is not a PR strategy, and we cheapen it when we hand out accolades like participation medals in a global ego contest. So if Trump wants a Nobel to cap his legacy, let him chase it. If it keeps him vaguely pointed in the direction of global cooperation, fine. Everyone’s got their own fight to fight. And I’m not going to fight over this one.
Because here’s where I’ve landed: I’m not shocked anymore. I’m not angry. I’m not even disappointed. I’m done caring. The Nobel Peace Prize? It just doesn’t mean anything. And whether Trump wins it or not? It has no bearing on the things I actually care about, like whether people are still dying in Gaza, or if Ukraine gets shelled into a crater, or if children anywhere have to grow up in rubble.
Give him the prize. Wrap it in velvet. Let him hang it in Mar-a-Lago next to a fake Time Magazine cover. If it shuts him up and slows the march to another war, I’m good with that. Because in the grand scheme, whether he wins it or not is just not the most important thing to me anymore. Peace is. Not props. Not pageantry. As for the signficance of this medal. Maybe it once stood for something but now I question that and I’m fine if they give it to whoever needs it to behave, like the promised treat if the tantrum stops. If it keeps the missiles grounded and the egos quiet, hand it over and move on. I just can’t waste my energy on this one. Not when there are actual lives at stake elsewhere. Not when the prize itself has already been gamified. Not when the possibility is that someone behaves better just because they want a sticker.
Nancy's Notes 