Posted on 10/31/23
| News Source: The Hill
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, setting up him to take on the critical role amid the country’s battle against Hamas.
Senators voted 53-43, with two Republicans joining with every present Democrat.
“With Israel defending itself against Hamas, this ambassadorship is as important and timely as any nomination that the Senate has confirmed in a long time,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after the vote. “Mr. Lew is the right man for the job of ambassador to Israel. He’s a capable public servant, a fierce ally to Israel and commands a broad base of trust and respect, and he is a decent and humane man.”
“When my colleagues and I met with the Israeli government, we promised to send them an ambassador as soon as possible. And today the Senate has kept that promise.”
“But it was clear when we went there that Israel needs an ambassador from the U.S., especially at this time,” Schumer added.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week advanced Lew’s nomination in a 12-9 vote. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the lone Republican on the panel to support him. Republicans expressed opposition to Lew, pointing especially at his hand in the Obama administration’s work on the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
“He’s got a really hard job going into this environment,” Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said on Tuesday. “We need an ambassador there.”