If Biden wins Israel could be ‘forced’ to take action against Iran, says minister

Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi says confrontation with Iran on the cards if Donald Trump’s maximum pressure approach dropped

Published date: 5 November 2020 08:24 UTC | Last update: 47 sec ago

An Israeli minister has warned his country will be “forced to take action” if Joe Biden becomes US president and returns to the Iran nuclear deal.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 13 on Wednesday, Minister of Settlement Affairs Tzachi Hanegbi said Biden should not abandon incumbent Donald Trump’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran if he were to be declared winner of the American presidential election.

“Trump’s policy towards Iran has succeeded, if it changes and the nuclear agreement returns – we will eventually reach an Israeli confrontation with Iran,” he said.

Wins in Michigan and Wisconsin put Biden in frontrunner position in the election on Wednesday, though the outcome is still expected to be tight.

During his tenure, Trump established himself as one of the most avowedly pro-Israel presidents in recent years.

His decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – which was negotiated by the previous Obama administration of which Biden was part – has put the US on a collision course with the Islamic Republic, but was well received by Israel.

However, Biden has signalled if elected he would return to the deal, which limits Iran’s nuclear capabilities in return for sanctions relief and investment.

A poll commissioned by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) on Monday revealed that 60 percent of Israelis believed a Trump victory would be beneficial for Israel, compared to just 17 percent for Biden.

“Presumably this pronounced preference among the Jewish public for Trump to keep serving stems to a large extent from the assessment that Biden’s election would weaken US-Israeli relations, and strengthen the relationship between Washington and the Palestinians,” IDI said in a statement.

A number of rabbis have urged US citizens in Israel to vote for Trump.

On Monday evening at least 150 Trump supporters waving US and Israeli flags rallied in the city of Beit Shemesh, where many Israeli-Americans live.