biased insiders reported the following right before election:
– Biden advocated vetoing anti-Israeli resolution, others, such as Susan Rice, advocated for voting FOR. Obama split the difference and at the last moment instructed to abstain.
– Israeli leaders appreciated Biden’s attitude towards Israel security needs and were able to talk to him. Others on the team did not remember Israeli history and already had Palestinian issue in mind, and were impossible to deal with.
This is, of course, self-serving justifications, but probably based on some truth