Trump To Receive Israeli Presidential Medal Of Honor: Here’s What It Signifies And Past Global Recipients

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced that US President Donald Trump will be awarded Israel’s highest civilian honour for brokering the ceasefire and hostage-release agreement in Gaza, and for his longstanding support for Israel.

In a statement, the President’s office said Trump will receive the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor in the coming months, at a time and place to be determined.

“Trump deserves the honor in recognition of his role in achieving a historic agreement advancing the release of the hostages and an end to the war. The award also notes President Trump’s steadfast and unwavering support for the State of Israel, his unique contribution to Israel’s security and the well-being of its citizens, and his commitment to leading the entire region toward an era of peace and cooperation,” the statement said.

The Significance

The Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor is awarded by the President to those “who have made an extraordinary contribution to the State of Israel or to humanity through their talents, their service, or in any other way”.

The award regulations state that the recipient must have made a unique contribution to the State of Israel or to tikkun olam, or has left a mark on society in his field of endeavor or accomplishments; has elevated the status of the State of Israel and made a unique contribution to its global image; serves as an example and role model of initiative, innovation, creativity, and vision.

Who Started It And When

The award was the initiative of the 9th President of the State of Israel, the late Shimon Peres, in 2012. During the Peres Presidency, the award was bestowed on 26 individuals, including US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Nobel Prize Laureate Eli Wiesel, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.

After a period in which the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor was not awarded under the 10th President, Reuven Rivlin (2014-2021), President Isaac Herzog decided to renew the tradition, and the public was invited to submit nominations for the award. President Herzog appointed an advisory committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Prof. Yoram Danziger to consider nominations for prize laureates.

‘And There Was Light’

The medal is an arced disk in gold. On each side the Hebrew alphabet perforates the material, enabling light to shine through the lettered shapes. The Hebrew alphabet is well anchored in the traditional roots of the People of the Book, which has shaped “cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books,” as noted in the Declaration of Independence of the Jewish and Democratic State of Israel.

The light flowing through the letters is also an element that runs like a silken thread through human, Jewish and Israeli culture, beginning with the light of creation, to the light of the Holy Temple, the light of Shabbat candles, memorial candles, and the beacons of revival. Enhancing the light is the blue ribbon representing the Tallit, and the flag of Israel.

Finally, the medal’s components come together in the formative phrase: “And there was light.”

The Past Recipients

Medal recipients are outstanding persons in Israel and worldwide, who fully enfold the concept of light revealed. They are beacons of creativity and values, leadership and initiative, and of excellence. They have promoted Israel, Israeli society, the Jewish people, and humanity at large by seemingly creating what never was before, and in this way expanding the light.

Israel had previously presented the award to former US presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2013 and 2022, respectively.

In January 2025, the medal was awarded to eight global leaders: Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress; Maurice Lévy, a French executive; Malcolm Hoenlein, former executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Julie Platt, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America; Sir Frank Lowy, Australian philanthropist and Holocaust survivor; Sir Trevor Chinn, a British Jewish leader; Brigitte Zypries, former German minister of economic affairs and justice; and Mark Leibler, an Australian attorney and Jewish leader.

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