The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Jack Lew as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. Lu's nomination has been delayed in the Senate since September due to a power struggle between Republicans and Democrats that prevented senior State Service appointments.
Obama announces the appointment of Jack Lew as Secretary of the Treasury (archive)
Lu, a 68-year-old Orthodox Jew, previously served as Barack Obama's finance secretary and chief of staff. He will assume the role of ambassador to Israel in the near future, after Tom Nides announced his retirement last summer. The ambassador-designate has strong ties to the American Jewish community and supports the two-state solution.
The Senate voted to nominate Lu by a vote of 53 to 4. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "The vote on Lu's nomination is one of the most important in the Senate in a long time. Israel is in crisis and the United States should be on its side. The important and necessary step right now is to make sure we have an ambassador there."
He announced his retirement last summer. Ambassador Tom Nides, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Lu is opposed by many Republicans because of his involvement in the Iran nuclear deal. Republican lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee objected to confirming his appointment on the grounds that the nuclear deal, which the ambassador-designate defended, allowed Tehran to fund its terrorist proxies in the Middle East.
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