Israelis express hope and concern after Biden’s inauguration

Israelis expressed both hope and concern on Thursday over new US president Joe Biden.

Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that "democracy has prevailed" and summoning American resilience and unity to confront the deeply divided nation's historic confluence of crises.

"I want to wish him good luck," Israeli resident Sagi Tamari told the AP.  "I think he's got lots of work to do."

Former US President Donald Trump's administration provided unprecedented support to Israel, including abandoning a longstanding US policy of opposing settlements.

Biden meanwhile has pledged a more even-handed approach to the Middle East conflict in which he will restore aid to the Palestinians and work to revive peace negotiations.

"Trump was very good for us, for the Israelis, he helped us a lot," said Hezi Schweiger.

"Let's hope that everything will continue to be good and we're going to be in very good connection with the USA government," he added.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who formed close ties with Trump, noted a personal friendship with Biden and said he looked forward to working together to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance.

Read more: As Trump era ends, Israel and the UAE seek eleventh hour advantages

Netanyahu's stance on settlement construction and Iran's nuclear program are likely to put him at odds with the new Biden administration.

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