Top evangelical leader Mike Evans has warned Donald Trump to end his spat with former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the ex-president said “F**k him,” saying it would alienate American Christians.
Evans, a former Trump adviser and financial backer who is also a close confidante of Netanyahu’s, sent a letter to Trump which was published the Washington Post, expressing his “horror” at Trump’s remarks to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
In the interview, Trump slammed Netanyahu for issuing a congratulatory message to Biden after the election results were announced.
“He was very early. Like earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since. Fuck him,” Trump said.
“The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with.”
Netanyahu was actually much later in congratulating Biden than other world leaders, as Breitbart News reported.
“Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi,” Trump said.
“But I also like loyalty. The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. And it was on tape.”
Trump also said that the Palestinians, not Netanyahu, were more partners to peace. This despite the fact that the Palestinian leadership boycotted Trump during the last years of his presidency and turned on him at the end.
Palestinians hailed the end of “the worst era” of President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday night, saying “an evil has distanced itself from us” and calling the incumbent “dangerous and destructive.” https://t.co/109Z4Z6gEr
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 8, 2020
“Please, I beg of you, don’t put us in the position to choose between you and Bible land,” the letter said according to the Post. “There is no possibility you can win again if Bible-believing evangelicals see you as the ‘F–k Netanyahu’ president who . . . blames the State of Israel, and not the Palestinians, for not making peace.”
Evans implored Trump to “understand that Benjamin Netanyahu,” who “has much greater support among evangelicals in America than you.”
Evans, who runs the “Jerusalem Prayer Team” with 77 million followers, has made laudatory statements about Netanyahu in the past.
“Bibi Netanyahu is the only man in the world that unites evangelicals,” he said before the last Israeli election which saw the former premier ousted by Naftali Bennett.
As Breitbart News reported, Trump was full of praise for terrorist-supporting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Trump did admit Abbas and the Palestinians had proved to be “hardened” against the deal. Nevertheless, he said that other Israeli leaders, such as Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz, seemed to be more acceptable to the Palestinians as partners.
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