Sheikh Mohamed and Netanyahu nominated for Nobel Peace Prize after Abraham Accord

Nomination made by former winner Lord David Trimble, the Israeli leader's office said

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, speaks to Donald Trump, US president at the time, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office in September 2020. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, meets Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state at the time. Wam

Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Pompeo in Washington. Wam

Sheikh Abdullah visits Washington in September last year. Wam

Sheikh Abdullah, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, US President Donald Trump, centre, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sign the Abraham Accord at the White House South Lawn. MOFAIC

Sheikh Abdullah and, from left, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House. MOFAIC

Sheikh Abdullah, Mr Al Zayani and Mr Netanyahu at the White House during the Abraham Accord signing ceremony. MOFAIC

Sheikh Abdullah and, from left, Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump and Mr Al Zayani wave from the Truman Balcony at the White House. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah and, from left, Mr Al Zayani, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump sign the Abraham Accord. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah and, from left, Mr Al Zayani, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump after the signing ceremony. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah and, from left, Mr Al Zayani, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump after the signing ceremony. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah speaks from the Truman Balcony at the White House during the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accord. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah speaks as Mr Trump looks on before the signing of Abraham Accord on the South Lawn of the White House. AP

Sheikh Abdullah looks on from the White House as Mr Trump speaks at the Abraham Accord signing ceremony, also attended by Mr Al Zayani and Mr Netanyahu. AP

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani stand on the Blue Room Balcony during the signing ceremony. AP

Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Al Zayani shortly before participating in the signing of the Abraham Accord. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah, with Mr Netanyahu, left, and Mr Al Zayani at the signing of the Abraham Accord on the South Lawn of the White House. AFP

US President Donald Trump speaks from the Truman Balcony at the White House during the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accord. AFP

President Donald Trump walks to the Abraham Accord signing ceremony at the White House with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani. AP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at the White House to attend the Abraham Accord signing ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump. EPA

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, meets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House before the signing of Abraham Accord. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, in the Oval Office. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, meets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah with Mr Trump in the Oval Office. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, with by President Donald Trump at the White House. Mustafa Alrawi / The National

The UAE delegation led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Mustafa Alrawi / The National

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, is welcomed to the White House by US President Donald Trump. EPA

Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Trump outside the White House. AFP

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed speaks to Mr Trump after arriving at the White House. Reuters

White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner walks away following a television interview on the North Lawn at the White House in Washington. Reuters

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome the arrival of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington DC. AFP

A delegation of senior UAE officials led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, prepares to depart for the White House to sign the Abraham Accord. MOFAIC

US President Donald Trump welcomes Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani. AFP

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani arrives at the White House in Washington DC. AFP

US President Donald Trump welcomes Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Preparations at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accord.

Preparations under way at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accord.

Preparations under way at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accord.

Preparation at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accord. The National

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for the Abraham Accords, the Israeli leader's office said on Tuesday night.

Mr Netanyahu’s office said the nomination was made by past winner Lord David Trimble, former first minister of Northern Ireland.

Mr Trimble was awarded the Nobel prize in 1998 with Irish nationalist politician John Hume for efforts to end the long conflict in Northern Ireland.

While the awarding committee do not disclose nominees for decades, Mr Netanyahu’s office said that as a submission from a former winner the judges will discuss the proposal.

Past winners, leaders of organisations that have won, members of national assemblies, governments and international courts of law, university chancellors, professors of social science, history, philosophy, law and theology, leaders of peace research institutes and institutes of foreign affairs can all submit names for consideration.

US President Donald Trump brokered the September agreement between the UAE and Israel to move towards normalising relations, making the UAE the first Arab state to do so in more than two decades. The announcement in August was followed by Bahrain who also begin formalising relations with Israel.

Ministers from both Gulf States met Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump at a ceremony on September 15 on the White House lawn to sign the Abraham Accord.

Arab and Israeli leaders previously won two Nobel Peace Prizes for signing deals that aimed to help end the long-running conflict.

In 1978, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin were given the prize for the Israeli-Egypt peace deal, formalised in 1979.

The peace deal with Egypt was the first with an Arab state.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and foreign minister Shimon Peres also won for the 1993 Oslo Accord.

The winner of the 2021 Nobel prize will be announced in October next year.

This year's recipient was the World Food Programme for fighting global hunger.

The UN organisation was lauded "for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict".