In Old Testament Biblical terms, I'm not sure I'd agree with the assumption of the question. The Bible also gets quite serious about e.g. eating certain sorts of foods associated with other religious festivals (I'll look up the specifics: I think this particular one is in Hosea. And there are some general provisions along the lines of 'if someone tries to convert you or your friends/family to a foreign religion, kill them or drive them out'. I would have though that idolatry was mentioned so much

1. One of the most iconic (hah) forms of other religions
2. Open to ridicule: from the Old Testament to iconoclasm, to Protestants to modern atheists, it's easy for opponents to portray the use of images in worship as 'bowing down to stone and wood'. Not convinced any adherents of said faiths would see it that way, even if you have a fairly strong concept of the God 'inhabiting' the image during a specific festival or act of worship.

It's also possible that images were used during some forms of early worship of the Israelite God, which the reformers who wrote the Bible opposed. So there are Biblical references to worship of 'pillars' which may have been a form of idol.

A supplementary question, if I may: Is it possible that the Abrahamic religions faced Sanaatana Dharma (aka Hinduism, which roughly believes in idol worship), and hence wanted to differentiate themselves so as to offer a different ideology to the masses?

I am aware I am making the assumption (jury is still out on this) that many strains of Hinduism spread as far as Russia and Rome during the times when the Abrahamic religions came into existence.

Prophet Mohammed PBUH told us why, I am clarifying the translation here.

Narrated Al-Harith Al-Ash'ari:

that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Indeed Allah commanded Yahya bin Zakariyya (John son Zechariah) of with five commandments to abide by, and to command the Children of Israel to abide by them.

But he was slow in doing so. So 'Eisa (Jesus PBUH) said: 'Indeed Allah commanded you with five commandments to abide by and to command the Children of Israel to abide by. Either you command them, or I shall command them.' So Yahya (John) said: 'I fear that if you precede me in this, then the earth may swallow me, or I shall be punished.' So he gathered the people in Jerusalem, and they filled [the Masjid] and sat upon its balconies. So he said: 'Indeed Allah has commanded me with five commandments to abide by, and to command you to abide by. The first of them is that you worship Allah and not associate anything with him.

The parable of the one who associates others with Allah is that of a man who buys a servant with his own gold or silver, then he says to him: "This is my home and this is my business so take care of it and give me the profits." So he takes care of it and gives the profits to someone other than his master. Which of you would live to have a servant like that? And Allah commands you to perform Salat (Prayer), and when you perform Salat (Prayer) then do not turn away, for Allah is facing the face of His worshipers as long as he does not turn away. And He commands you with fasting. For indeed the parable of fasting, is that of a man in a group with a sachet containing musk. All of them enjoy its fragrance. Indeed the breath of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the scent of musk. And He commands you to give charity. The parable of that, is a man captured by his enemies, tying his hands to his neck, and they come to him to beat his neck. Then he said: "I can ransom myself from you with a little or a lot" so he ransoms himself from them. And He commands you to remember Allah. For indeed the parable of that, is a man whose enemy quickly tracks him until he reaches an impermeable fortress in which he protects himself from them. This is how the worshiper is; he does not protect himself from Ash-Shaitan (Satan) except by the remembrance of Allah.'" The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "And I command you with five that Allah commanded me: Listening and obeying, Jihad, Hijrah, and the Jama'ah. For indeed whoever parts from the Jama'ah the measure of a hand-span, then he has cast off the yoke of Islam from his neck, unless he returns. And whoever calls with the call of Jahiliyyah (Period of ignorance) then he is from the coals of Hell." A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! Even if he performs Salat and fasts?" So he (ﷺ) said: "Even if he performs Salat and fasts. So call with the call that Allah named you with: Muslims, believers, worshipers of Allah."

You will probably get better answers if you go ask this question on r/AcademicBiblical

The Abrahamic religions all share a common history in the earliest writings of each religion, and in that era (and that part of the world), forbidding using idols for religious reverence was extremely uncommon. So to ban "idol worship" was to effectively ban other religious traditions, to keep the Hebrew traditions "pure". It was an easy signifier that someone was using outside religious influences.

So it wasn't necessarily a bigger threat than other practices, it was simply an easy method to identify unwanted outside influences, especially since the Hebrews were very tribalistic at the time.

Here is a rabbinical analysis of Abraham and his relationship to idols. Abraham's culture/community was into idol worship, and being anti-idol is an important part of his "origin story". This aspect of the man carried through to all the religions stemming from him.