Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly told evangelical leader and Trump ally Mike Evans that he would recognize Israel “today,” but said the main obstacle was his father, King Salman, the Jerusalem Post, quoting Evans, has reported.

Evans, who founded the Friends of Zion and has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel, said the conversation took place during a two-hour meeting that also included the crown prince’s brother and the Saudi foreign minister.

Evans’s remarks came as Donald Trump pushed for a wider regional alignment tied to a possible Iran deal, with Reuters reporting that he urged countries including Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey to join the Abraham Accords. Trump also said he had spoken over the weekend with leaders from those countries, along with officials from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Axios reported that Trump had asked several Arab and Muslim-majority states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, to move toward normalization with Israel if a deal to end the Iran war is reached. Evans said he viewed Trump’s efforts as genuine and argued that the former president still has significant leverage with Riyadh.

The Abraham Accords, first signed during Trump’s initial term, normalized ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, later followed by Morocco and Sudan. Saudi Arabia has long been seen as the most important possible addition to that framework, but Riyadh has publicly said recognition of Israel depends on progress toward a Palestinian settlement.

Trump’s broader outreach has also included states viewed as more difficult cases, such as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan. Qatar has hosted Hamas leaders and played a key role in hostage negotiations, Turkey has sharply criticized Israel during the Gaza war, and Pakistan has never recognized Israel.

Evans argued that Trump’s personal relationships and negotiating style could still produce results. He said expanding the accords would weaken Islamist movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, and strengthen a Sunni bloc aligned with Israel.

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