The Senate has confirmed Jack Lew as U.S. ambassador to Israel—at a time when the Jewish state is under fire by the terrorist group Hamas like never before.
The Senate confirmed the former Treasury secretary, 53–43.
Mr. Lew, whose nomination was announced on Sept. 5, succeeds Tom Nides, who ended his ambassadorship on July 21.
Israel has faced a barrage of attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah, both U.S.-designated terrorist groups. Hamas started its latest war against Israel with a surprise attack on Oct. 7, when it launched rockets from Gaza, which it controls, into Israel and invaded the Jewish state, killing more than a thousand people and taking more than 200 hostages.
In his testimony, Mr. Lew, an Orthodox Jew, expressed outrage over the Hamas attacks, which led to the largest number of deaths of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust.
“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.
“If confirmed, I will work to prevent other state or non-state actors from expanding this conflict to new fronts.
“And I will coordinate with the international community to address the humanitarian crisis facing innocent civilians in Gaza who are being used as human shields by Hamas.”
The attack on Israel was personal for him, Mr. Lew said.
“I cannot remember a time when Israel’s struggle for security was not at the forefront of my mind. I came of age in a family that combined belief in religious Zionism and labor Zionism,” he said, recalling the time he was in a synagogue in Washington during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which Israel won after fighting a multifront attack from surrounding nations.
Mr. Lew promised to bring home numerous U.S. citizens believed to be held hostage by Hamas. At least 31 Americans have been among the more than 4,500 people killed in the recent Hamas attacks on Israel.
Mr. Lew came under fire from Republicans for being an integral part of the Obama administration’s 2015 deal with Iran that gave the regime billions of dollars in sanctions relief. The United States, in the Trump administration, withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions lifted under it in addition to enacting fresh sanctions on Tehran.
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Mr. Lew’s nomination on Oct. 18, Republicans cited his support for the nuclear accord.
“Secretary Lew, I have reservations on your appointment as America’s ambassador to Israel,” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the committee’s ranking member.
“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.
“I have reservations about your ability to do that. You played a key role in supporting the Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations.”
Mr. Risch also claimed that when Mr. Lew came before the committee in 2015, he wasn’t transparent about cash going to Iran, as Mr. Lew said that money couldn’t be used for terrorist activities.
Mr. Risch accused Mr. Lew of lying to or, at least, misleading the committee.
A bipartisan Senate report alleged that the Treasury Department, under Mr. Lew, facilitated the transfer of funds to Iran through intermediaries.
The United States withdrew from the Iran deal in 2018, reimposed the sanctions that had been lifted under that deal, and implemented fresh sanctions on Tehran.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) echoed Mr. Risch’s concerns about that testimony.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) cited Mr. Lew’s role in implementing the Iran deal, which included giving the Iranian regime sanctions relief.
In apparently trying to alleviate concerns about his Iran stance, Mr. Lew made clear that Iran is a threat. He vowed to strengthen Israel in terms of security, its relationship with the United States, and in other ways. He also vowed to combat anti-Semitism.
He said the United States shouldn’t negotiate with Iran at the moment, given the Hamas attacks, even though it would be good to have such an accord.
