Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a tough dilemma given media projections of Joe Biden as the president-elect of the United States. As world leaders took turns congratulating Biden, Netanyahu pondered how to deal with this hot potato on his desk, repeatedly consulting his man at the White House, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer. He knew he could not avoid congratulating Biden, the 46th US president. He also knew he could not congratulate Biden without incurring the wrath and possible revenge by outgoing President Donald Trump, the proverbial gift that has not stopped bestowing gifts on Israel and Netanyahu throughout his four-year term. What's more, even as he mulled his options, Trump’s point person on Iran Elliott Abrams was visiting Jerusalem and discussing a series of additional sanctions on the Tehran regime with his Israeli counterparts. Should Netanyahu congratulate Biden nevertheless, even as Trump’s envoy was discussing increased pressure on Iran to benefit Israel? What was he going to do?

Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Benny Gantz eventually settled on a compromise that left them empty-handed. They were both among the last world leaders to congratulate Biden and avoided using the president-elect title in their message in order to avoid angering the incumbent. The only senior Israeli office holder to wholeheartedly salute Biden was Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn of the Blue and White party led by Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, earning himself a sharp rebuke from his party boss.

Israel is setting great store by the series of new Iran sanctions in response to non-nuclear issues, such as Iran’s human rights record and its proliferation of terrorism. The plan, devised in Washington and Jerusalem, would make it very hard for a Biden administration to lift the sanctions without a convincing reason. Netanyahu and Gantz are hoping to hem in Biden with Trump’s sanctions in order to scuttle a reenactment of the conciliatory Barack Obama-era policy on Iran. The tradition of congratulating elected US presidents has thrown a monkey wrench into the works.

Israel is hoping to avoid the mistakes Netanyahu made during Obama’s presidency, when he enraged the president to such an extent that he completely excluded Israel from the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The goal set by Netanyahu and Gantz this time is to be included in the process and to “help” Biden avoid a return to Obama’s goodwill toward Iran.