Israeli Settlements Minister Tzachi Hanegbi expressed fears that an election win for US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden could lead to war between Tel Aviv and Tehran.
In an interview with the Israeli Channel 13, he warned that Biden's stance on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) could reignite tensions between the two rivals.
"Trump's policy towards Iran has succeeded, if it changes and the nuclear agreement returns - we will eventually reach an Israeli confrontation with Iran,” said Hanegbi, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He noted that 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.”
US presidential candidate Joe Biden had announced that his administration would attempt to renegotiate the JCPOA if he wins the elections.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed Tuesday the idea of any new negotiations on the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal during the tenure of the next US president.
Also this week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that for Tehran, the next US administration's policies are important and not who wins the US elections.
On Thursday, Netanyahu instructed his ministers not to comment on the US elections. However, Mikael Oren, who is close to the Israeli PM and a former Israeli ambassador to Washington, wrote this week that the US presidential election is replete with what may be fateful repercussions for the State of Israel.
“Former Vice President Joe Biden, whom I knew well, is clearly a pro-Israel man committed to the strategic alliance between Jerusalem and Washington. Likewise, California Senator Kamala Harris, with whom l have also worked in the past, is also pro-Israel. She and Biden were among the lone Democratic candidates to oppose efforts to pressure Israel by withholding aid,” he noted.
However, Oren noted that a Biden administration would challenge Israel on two core issues: The first is a diplomatic process that would see the government shirk Trump's "deal of the century" and return to the framework adopted by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, meaning a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem.
“We Israelis will need to do more to stand on our own two feet and defend our vital interests. As a strong and sovereign state, as we can,” Oren explained.
