Israeli government officials on likely Biden victory: ‘It could have been worse’

The report says that while Jerusalem would have preferred a Trump win, Joe Biden in the White House is not a nightmare scenario.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israeli government officials are gearing up for a Biden victory, according to a report from Channel 12 News on Thursday morning.

The report says that while Jerusalem would have preferred a Trump win, Joe Biden in the White House is not a nightmare scenario.

Citing the fact that Biden is a moderate, and not associated with the extreme left-wing of the Democratic party, sources summed up the overall feeling in Jerusalem as “it could have been worse.”

Their main assumption is that the Senate will remain in Republican hands, giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “in” to influence U.S. foreign policy decisions related to Israel, Channel 12 reports.

While the Senate’s final makeup remains unknown as several races have still not been called, Democratic hopes for a takeover are dwindling.

Statements on Biden’s official campaign site laud his “record of unstinting support for Israel.”

“Joe Biden’s stalwart support for Israel and his commitment to protect Israel’s security and strengthen our two nations’ partnership is deeply personal and spans his entire career,” the site reads.

“Biden has led efforts to oppose the delegitimization of Israel, whether in international organizations or by the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement here at home.”

But Biden has also expressed interest in reviving the Iran nuclear deal, a prospect that makes Israeli government officials nervous.

Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, told Army Radio on Thursday morning that “Israel needs to be grateful to President Trump, and now, to get used to the fact that Biden’s going to be taking over.”

“Things will get harder for us on several significant issues,” he said. “Biden wants to renew the Iranian nuclear agreement, for example. And in the international sphere, we’re going to have to explain ourselves in a lot of areas, whereas before, our positions were simply accepted.”

MK Tzvi Hauser, head of the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, told Kan Bet on Thursday morning, “Regardless of the final results, once they’re in, one thing is for sure – that Israel will have a good friend in the White House.”

“Even if a future administration renews the Iranian nuclear deal, it will still be a better deal, from our perspective, than the previous one,” he said.

Last week, Biden’s vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris promised Arab American News that she would re-open the PLO mission in Washington, D.C. and resume immediate aid to the Palestinians if elected.

“We will also oppose annexation and settlement expansion,” she added.