Trump advisor Mike Evans says Israel must eliminate Hamas and Hezbollah ‘between now and Jan. 20’

Mike Evans, an advisor to president-elect Donald Trump on relations between the United States and Israel, revealed in an interview with Israeli news portal Ynet what the Republican's plan for the Middle East would look like.

Evans stated that "Donald Trump would like Israel to finish the job between now and Jan. 20," when the Republican assumes the U.S. presidency, "eliminating the two proxies of Iran [Hezbollah, in Lebanon and Hamas, in the Gaza Strip], and ending the war."

The advisor added that Trump surely wants "Israel to deal with Iran by then." While he acknowledged that the Jewish state cannot attack the Iranian regime's nuclear sites, since they are underground, "it can affect oil facilities and bankrupt Iran."

This economic collapse of Iran, Evans remarked, "would mean no money for Hezbollah in Lebanon, no money for Hamas in Gaza, no money for Iran to build ballistic missiles. That's the answer." He added: "The Sunnis would be happy: They despise the Iranians and won't join them if Israel bankrupts them."

As to why Israel should end its work on the war by Jan. 20, Evans opined that "the window is open only until then. This would cause economic ripples that would affect the global economy; you can't do this after Trump's inauguration. After that, Trump's plan will be build, build, build."

"I think next year will bring peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and that includes the entire Sunni world. It will be the golden age for the Abraham Accords," he added, referring to the normalization of relations treaties signed by the Jewish state with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020.

The plan for Gaza

Regarding the Gaza Strip, Evans indicated that it is an issue that "cannot be solved with a two-state solution, but only with a phased plan: starting with drying up the swamp of terrorism, eliminating the murderers and re-educating against hatred of Jews." While acknowledging that this will take a long time, he asserted that "Trump is a builder, and [Jared] Kushner [son-in-law and former advisor to the president-elect] has prepared a lot of material for this."

Criticism of the Biden-Harris administration

"For Trump, Israel is good and its enemies are evil," argued the advisor, who said that unlike the Republican, the Biden-Harris administration viewed the enemies of the Jewish state "as victims" and Israel "as the aggressor." He added that the U.S. government "repeatedly tried to make concessions and compromises. Trump will not tolerate any of that."

"Biden tried to sabotage everything Israel has done since Oct. 7. The U.S. media portrayed Hamas as a victim and Israel as an aggressor. Despite this, its incredible soldiers acted bravely and did the right thing," Evans said. He added: "Biden is a lame duck; he has already ceded the presidency to Harris, for whom no one voted."

Could there be friction between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu?

Evans claimed in the interview that Trump never had any problems with the Israeli government. "There was no president who has done so much for Israel," he said. And he remarked that the Republican "will not shed a tear over the elimination of terrorists who want to kill Jews. There is one person who can certainly influence Trump's presidency, and that is 'Bibi' Netanyahu, because of the war. While Biden wanted to stop it, 'Bibi' stood his ground and acted. Trump knows that 'Bibi' was a great ally."

Will Trump allow Israel to annex West Bank settlements?

Regarding the possibility of Israel annexing its settlements that are located in the West Bank, he argued that such a move is based on the two-state solution, something Trump does not see as an option at this time. "I think 'Bibi' will be so happy with the Saudis reaching peace with Israel and ending the wars, that there will be no need for annexation. Trump will not press Israel for land. Israel's real concern should be focused on Tehran." He concluded that handing over territory in exchange for peace is no longer a major issue.