Previous U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testifies right before a Senate Overseas Relations Committee affirmation listening to on his nomination to be the following U.S. ambassador to Israel, on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
WASHINGTON — Former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was verified by the Senate Tuesday to provide as President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Israel at a crucial time for the enduring U.S.-Israel alliance.
Lew, 68, served as treasury secretary in the Obama administration, and as White Residence funds director in two Democratic administrations.
A ton has changed in Israel in the just about two months since Biden nominated Lew on Sept. 5. A surprise attack by Hamas Oct. 7 left more than 1,400 men and women lifeless in Israel, approximately all of them civilians.
In response, Israel vowed to ruin the militant group. More than the previous three months, Gaza has been below in close proximity to consistent air strikes by the Israeli military.
The Palestinian Well being Ministry studies far more than 8,000 folks have been killed in Gaza since the begin of the Hamas-Israel War. Previously this week, Israel started a new section in its armed forces operation, a ground offensive into Gaza.
Talking at his Senate confirmation listening to Oct. 18, Lew reported Israel’s protection was a “paramount” worry for the United States.
“I will do my utmost to end the horrific assaults by Hamas and to make sure that Israel has what it wants to protect alone,” he informed the senators, “and I will spare no effort in performing to aid American citizens now captive to return house securely.”
The United States has been with no a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Israel considering that July, when Tom Nides departed the write-up. Stephanie Hallett, a vocation diplomat, has served in the interim.