The pro-Israel evangelical Christian community in the US is voicing criticism of the delay to Israel's plan to announce sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and settlements in Judea and Samaria. Evangelical leader Mike Evans is pressing the Trump administration to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.
Speaking to Israel Hayom, Evans says that if the Trump administration fails to recognize Israel's sovereignty bid, the evangelical community would not be able to support him in November.
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Evans is currently in Washington and on Tuesday met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to award him a medal for his support of Israel. Evans praises the administration and its leaders for their support for Israel, calling them a "dream team."
According to Evans, Pompeo has changed State Department's position on Israel for the better, and Vice President Mike Pence is Israel's "biggest supporter" in Washington, not to mention US President Donald Trump himself, whom Evans says is the greatest supporter the evangelical community has ever had.
Evans says that the evangelical community "gave" Trump the presidency for two reasons: his anti-abortion stance, and his support for Israel. Evans says that evangelical Christians in the US believe that Israel belongs to the Jewish people, as stated in the Bible.
However, he warns, if Trump does not recognize a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare sovereignty, he will lose the evangelical vote. All the "amazing" things he has done for Israel show what path he wants to take, Evans says, which is why the evangelical leader is "certain" that he will not break his promise to support Israel.
"He can't win without the evangelical vote," he stresses.
Evans says that various advisors to the president are not helping him by suggesting that he renege on his promise to recognize Israel's sovereignty plan.
According to Evans, he has 73 million pro-Israel followers on Facebook who "want to support the president and want him to support Israel," so if any of Trump's advisors try to prevent that from happening, he and his followers will do everything they can to see him "fired."
Ultimately, Evans thinks that the sovereignty plan will go ahead and be approved by the US.
Everything will be fine, he says, like it was after the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is shifting gears in discussions about the declaration of sovereignty. A message issued by his office on Wednesday said that he was keeping up talks with the Americans and met on Wednesday with the head of the National Security Council and leaders of Israel's defense establishment.
"More meetings are expected over the next few days," his office said.
Also on Wednesday, head of the Intelligence Division in the National Security Council Ran Peled told the Knesset Control Committee that the Diplomatic Security Cabinet would discuss the issue of sovereignty at its upcoming meeting.
In a related development, Nabil Shaath, an advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a Russian news outlet that the PA would be willing to resume negotiations with Israel if Israel gave up on declaring sovereignty. He set another precondition for talks, saying that negotiations would have to be based on UN resolutions and be mediated by the international Quartet, rather than by the US alone.
Senior PA officials met with left-wing Israeli activists in Jericho on Wednesday to protest the planned declaration of sovereignty. Jibril Rajoub of the Fatah movement said, "The entire world, as well as those in Israel who desire peace, are standing up to Bibi, US Ambassador [David] Friedman, and his bullies to stop the annexation plan."
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