The Young Likud group on Monday wrote to the 2005 Nobel economics laureate, Yisrael Aumann, who is known for his right-wing views, asking him to nominate Netanyahu.
By GIL HOFFMAN, ANNA BARSKYIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu istens prior to participating in the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 15, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS//TOM BRENNER)
An Italian lawmaker nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday in recognition of his efforts to achieve peace with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.The nomination was submitted by Paolo Grimoldi, an Italian member of Parliament who is considered a friend of Israel and who has visited many times, but he has never met Netanyahu. Grimoldi got confirmation from the prize committee that his nomination had been received. In his proposal, Grimoldi said Netanyahu deserved to win because of the agreements he had fostered with the two countries and because he developed ties with Saudi Arabia.Two Likud MKs also worked on a nomination on Tuesday but Grimoldi beat them to it.The Young Likud group on Monday wrote to the 2005 Nobel economics laureate, Yisrael Aumann, who is known for his right-wing views, asking him to nominate Netanyahu.“We in Young Likud believe it would be fitting for the prime minister to receive the recognition he deserves for working hard to achieve regional peace and create a new Middle East,” Young Likud chairman Moshiko Passal wrote in his letter to Aumann, the eighth Israeli to win a Nobel Prize.Aumann told The Jerusalem Post he had received the letter and considered it “a fine idea.”“I would be delighted to see Netanyahu receive the prize together with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the same way Menachem Begin won the prize together with Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat,” Aumann said. Passal had written to Aumann believing that as a Nobel winner, he could nominate Netanyahu. But the Hebrew University professor said the rules only allowed him to propose candidates in the field in which he had won the prize.US President Donald Trump has also been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to achieve the agreement. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian member of parliament submitted the nomination.
