Eligible people had until midnight on Wednesday to submit nominations for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, almost 200 different nominations are submitted every year. Those eligible to participate include peace research academics, members of national parliaments and members of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Although the Nobel Committee must keep the nominations secret, the nominators are allowed to make their choices public.
Two nominations will probably provide a surprise.
Donald Trump
Nominated for the fourth time is none other than former American President Donald Trump. He was nominated by Republican lawmaker Claudia Tenney citing his “historic policies” in the Middle East.
In concrete terms, she means the Abraham Accords. This concerns the peace treaty between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan, which was signed in December 2020 and January 2021. He also worked diligently to lay the groundwork for a future peace treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia. On her website she criticizes the fact that Trump is not yet recognized for his achievements:
She also takes the opportunity to take a swipe at incumbent US President Joe Biden:
UNRWA
Many public nominees are active in the Gaza war. For example, scientists from the Free University of Amsterdam said they had nominated Middle East-based organizations EcoPeace, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun. They all strive for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
On Thursday, Norwegian politician Asmund Aukrust announced that he had nominated UNWRA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) for the Nobel Prize. A rather surprising choice given the ongoing controversy surrounding the UN aid agency.
On January 26, 2024, the New York Times announced that twelve UNRWA employees were suspected of ties to Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. A few days later, the scandal spread even further, affecting about ten percent of all 12,000 UNRWA aid agency employees working in the Gaza Strip had ties to Hamas or Islamist Jihad, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an Israeli secret service dossier. As a result, several states announced that they would temporarily suspend payments to UNWRA.
Aukrust is undeterred: the politician told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that he nominated the organization because of its long-standing work in providing vital support to Palestine and the region in general. And further:
A UNWRA employee was also nominated: Motaz Azaiza. Nominating Norwegian politician Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik justified the nomination by saying that Azaiza would give the world insight into the atrocities in Gaza.
What does that mean?
Nothing concrete yet. Over the next two months, the Nobel Committee will review all submitted nominations and assess the candidates’ work. A selection is then made of between twenty and thirty people and organizations, which are further examined by advisors from the Nobel Institute.
They in turn prepare a report, on the basis of which the committee chooses the winner. This or that will be announced at the beginning of October, the prize will be awarded on December 10.
Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize went to imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi. (saw)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
