Panel advances Israel ambassador nominee despite GOP opposition

President Biden’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel moved forward in his confirmation process Wednesday, advancing out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee despite Republican opposition.

Senators on the panel voted 12-9 to advance former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew’s nomination, setting up a floor vote for a position critical at a time when Israel is fighting a war against Hamas.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the panel’s chair, said confirming Lew was vital “as we deal with the pieces we need to deal with in regards to Israel’s safety.”

“We need the gravitas of a confirmed ambassador that can speak with authority on behalf of the United States,” Cardin said.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides left the post in July.

Republicans on the panel criticized Lew’s work on the Iran nuclear deal negotiated during the former Obama administration.

“I’m going to vote today to support Israel, I’m going to vote ‘no,’” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the ranking member of the committee, of his vote against Lew.

Republicans criticized Lew’s role in transferring billions of dollars to Iran as part of the nuclear deal. Republicans said Lew misled the committee in explaining how money would be transferred to the Islamic Republic and the role of the U.S. in that transfer.

Democrats opposed this characterization. Cardin said that to his knowledge, there were no surprises in the way the deal was implemented, and Lew provided “total transparency.”

Despite those differences, the fact the panel acted on an accelerated timeline of two weeks on Lew’s nomination was another example of the bipartisan support in Congress for Israel since Hamas, a U.S-designated terror group, launched an unprecedented attack Oct. 7.

“This is behind us now, we’ve got the nominee moving forward, we’re going to have to work with him,” Risch said.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, killed 1,400 people, most of them civilians, in the attack on Israel and took more than 200 people as hostages. Israel has responded with a bombardment of Gaza, which the Gaza Health Ministry says has killed more than 6,500 Palestinians, widely seen as a precursor to a ground invasion.

The Biden administration has offered support for Israel but has been without an ambassadorial position through the entire crisis.

Cardin said a floor vote for Lew’s nomination could take place as early as next week. 

Lawmakers also advanced the nominations of Biden’s picks for Ambassador to Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg, a critical post as the U.S. works with Egypt to transfer humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and work to allow dual-U.S. citizens, and other innocent civilians out of the zone of combat, and other issues of the war. 

Biden’s nominees for Ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley; and ambassador to Liberia, Mark Toner; advanced by voice vote.

Paul Martin, nominee to be Inspector General for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and David White, nominee for Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, also advanced by voice vote.

In a statement, Cardin said he is “pleased to see Jack Lew’s nomination advance through the Foreign Relations Committee today with bipartisan support.”

“The urgency to confirm this highly-qualified nominee has never been greater. Israel is at war, and the United States needs an experienced, Senate-confirmed Ambassador on the ground working hand in hand with our Israeli partners,” Cardin said. “The U.S. team at Mission Israel is the best in the field, but there is no substitute for a Senate-confirmed Ambassador.”

Updated at 4:30 pm.