The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Oct. 25 to approve the nomination of former Treasury Secretary Jacob “Jack” Lew as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
The nomination was advanced in a 12–9 vote as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) joined with Democrats to move the process forward.
The defection came as a surprise to some, given other Republicans’ concerns regarding Mr. Lew’s support for the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
Among those Republicans was Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the committee’s top Republican, who said he had “reservations” given the ongoing conflict between Israel and the allegedly Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas.
“Not only will you need to support Israel, as in response to these attacks, but also as it contends with the enduring and, indeed, existential Iranian threat, which I think is [an] underlying and foundational issue here,” Mr. Risch said at an Oct. 18 confirmation hearing.
“I have reservations about your ability to do that. You played a key role in supporting the Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations.”
A bipartisan Senate report found that under Mr. Lew’s direction, the Treasury Department facilitated the transfer of funds to Iran as part of that nuclear deal.
However, Mr. Lew, an Orthodox Jew, assured members that he would stand with Israel as it strikes back at Hamas over the group’s deadly Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel.
“I will do my utmost to end the horrific attacks by Hamas and ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. And I will spare no effort in working to help American citizens now captive to return home safely. And I will work to root out payments to terrorists and their families as rewards for their heinous crimes,” he testified.
Support From Senators
A day before the committee vote, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) released a statement of support for the former secretary, whom he described as an “honest and straightforward person” and longtime friend despite their differing opinions on the Iran deal.“After speaking with him multiple times and given his nomination for the position of ambassador to Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, Jack has agreed to support pushing to enforce and strengthen sanctions and other points of leverage including snapback against Iran for its support of terrorism and other destabilizing activities,” Mr. Manchin said.
“For decades, Iran has engaged in destabilizing terrorism financing that directly enabled the attack against Israel on Oct. 7.
“As we see daily the ramifications of that attack, we should all remember that Hamas is a terrorist organization that uses innocent Palestinians in Gaza to shield themselves and their weapons, while Israel uses their weapons to protect their people.”
Vowing to support Mr. Lew’s nomination, Mr. Manchin said that it was “essential” that he be confirmed quickly “so he can go to Israel and get to work immediately.”
Mr. Lew, who also served as White House chief of staff under the Obama administration, was nominated for the ambassadorship by President Joe Biden on Sept. 5.
The full Senate is expected to vote on his confirmation next week at the earliest. A simple majority vote would seal his confirmation.
