In a few hours, the polls will close in the United States, and soon - either tonight or in a few days, we will all know whether incumbent President Donald Trump will continue to serve for another four years, or whether Democratic candidate Joe Biden will be the one to run for office - a scenario that Channel 13 News' Alon Ben David and Raviv Drucker say worries the Israeli defense establishment.
Biden, who served as Vice President to Barack Obama, has previously stated that he intends to renew the nuclear deal that Obama signed - the same agreement that Trump withdrew during his tenure. The United States' return to the nuclear deal will restart the Iranian economy, and will allow Iran to spread further in the region, years after it was halted.
Who else will be happy with the loss of the Democratic candidate and Trump's victory is Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. During Trump's tenure, the United States moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and reached historic political agreements - and these are just a few of the reasons Netanyahu prefers Trump. Defense Minister Benny Gantz actually prefers a Biden victory, because it is easier for Gantz to communicate with Biden's people.
At this point, polls point to a landslide victory for Biden. If that is indeed the scenario, Trump will leave the White House in January, and then, it is not certain that the incumbent president will be able to reach further agreements for Israel. One of the reasons for this is that the countries in question, which it has claimed will soon normalize relations with Israel, will not want to do so in part because Biden's policy is different from Trump's - which could harm the proceedings.
According to past statements by the Democratic candidate, it seems that Israel has nothing to fear from Trump's loss. Biden's entry into the White House would not restore the complex relationship that was recorded between Israel and the United States during the Obama administration, and Biden has said in the past that he loves Netanyahu - but does not agree with a single word he says.
The United States has many problems to resolve even before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Biden himself has no great desire to find a solution to the issue. While Obama appointed a special envoy to the Middle East at the time, Biden is unlikely to do so. He may condemn construction in the settlements.
When he visited here while he was Vice President, Biden said he was a Zionist - and he didn't have to be Jewish to do so. He said that he educated his children on the memory of the Holocaust, and made it clear that this chapter in history must not be forgotten. Biden visited here as a young senator and met with Prime Minister Golda Meir even before the Yom Kippur War. He calls Prime Minister Netanyahu "Bibi", and it seems that his policy is widespread support for Israel - especially in maintaining the military advantage.