Following the announcement by US President Donald Trump of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), issued a statement in support of the ceasefire.
“The ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced and brokered by President Trump and Qatar is nothing short of heroic. If both parties agree and the calm holds, it will be truly historic," Lauder said.
“The people of Israel and Iran share a deep bond stretching back millennia — a legacy overshadowed in recent years by the Islamic Republic’s obsession with bringing destruction to both Israel and the United States.
“This ceasefire must mark the end of Iran’s ability to threaten Israel, America, and the wider world. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Its support for terror and regional destabilization must cease entirely, and the international community must remain united in enforcing those red lines.
“If peace is truly within reach, we must seize it — and ensure that tyranny and terror never again stand in the way of a more hopeful future," Lauder stated.
Trump announced on Monday night that Israel and Iran have agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire, starting at 7:00 a.m. Israel time on Tuesday morning.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that Iran will be the first to stop hostilities, beginning in six hours from the announcement, and Israel will do the same six hours later.
"It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!" Trump wrote.
He added, "Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR.'"
"This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!" wrote the President.