Israel’s Settlements Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said the US presidential election was creating uncertainty surrounding the deal in the Middle East, according to The Jerusalem Post. The prospect of Joe Biden winning the presidency has led to concerns about relations between Iran and Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Mr Hanegbi claimed Mr Biden’s approach to the Iran Nuclear Deal might result in a war between the two countries.
The minister said: “Biden has said openly for a long time that he will go back to the nuclear agreement.
“I see that as something that will lead to a confrontation between Israel and Iran.”
Mr Hanegbi said Mr Netanyahu and most Israelis saw the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, as “mistaken – and that’s an understatement”.
He added: “If Biden stays with that policy, there will, in the end, be a violent confrontation between Israel and Iran.”
Last month, Mr Biden vowed to negotiate a potential re-entry to the agreement if he won the election. However, entering the discussions would entail lifting a number of embargoes brought in by President Trump. Brian O’Toole, a former senior adviser at the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, raised concerns about Mr Biden’s potential agreement.
He said: “It makes it more politically perilous for Biden.
“Essentially, ‘the US is giving up a lot more than Iran is giving up’ is how it will be pitched by the Republicans.”
“It’s a completely different feeling. No longer lawyers and Wall Street money people.
“Now we will experience the return of an American political establishment that does not always go along with our foibles, but which the Israeli system gets along with very well.”
An insider close to Israel’s Prime Minister echoed similar remarks, adding that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Biden had established a “friendly relationship” in the past.
They told Al-Monitor in condition of anonymity: “As long as the Senate is Republican, Netanyahu is all set.
“He manoeuvred an impatient, young [President Barack] Obama for eight years, he will not have a hard time manoeuvring Biden, especially as Biden and Netanyahu have enjoyed a truly friendly relationship for decades. They will get along.
“It will not be a passionate affair as things were with Trump, but it will be totally bearable.
“And anyway, Biden is unlikely to have much time and patience for the Middle East with the coronavirus pandemic, tensions with China and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s bullying.”