Netanyahu's Gift to Trump: a Golden Pager

Gift celebrates 'exploding pager' attack on Hezbollah members
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 7, 2025 8:37 AM CST
Netanyahu Gave Trump a Golden Pager
Netanyahu's gift to Trump.   (Israel Government Press Office)

President Trump has a very unusual souvenir of his Tuesday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader gave Trump a golden pager, a reference to the exploding pagers that targeted Hezbollah members in Lebanon in September. The blasts killed at least 37 people and injured thousands, including civilian bystanders, CNN reports. The pager is mounted on wood, with a plaque reading, "To President Donald J. Trump, Our greatest friend and greatest ally."

The gift "symbolizes the Prime Minister's decision that led to a turning point in the war and the starting point for breaking the will of the terrorist organization Hezbollah," Netanyahu's office said, per the Times of Israel. An Israeli source tells the AP that when he was presented with the gift, Trump said, "That was a major operation." On Instagram, Netanyahu's son Yair revealed the gift Netanyahu received from Trump: A signed photo of the two men, with the message "To Bibi. A great leader!" (More Benjamin Netanyahu stories.)

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