Mr. Lew will have to heed Washington’s call to protect civilians in Gaza as the human toll there grows. The administration is calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid and is trying to stop the war from escalating by sending enough weapons to Israel to deter further attacks on the country by Iran and other rivals.
Tuesday’s vote capped Democratic efforts to fast-track Mr. Lew’s confirmation to the key post despite Republican opposition.Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ben cardin (D-Md.) and others cited the urgency of the relationship, the need for the United States to support Israel in its war against Hamas, and the importance of protecting American citizens and the diplomatic corps in Israel.
“Jacob Lew is extremely qualified to fill this post. He has a wealth of experience. He has the political acumen that our ambassador needs at this time. Mr. Cardin said in a floor speech before the vote.
Mr. Cardin accused Mr. Lew’s Republican opponents of using his nomination to double down on their opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in which Mr. Lew was involved.
Lew, who served as Treasury secretary under former President Barack Obama, advanced 12-9 on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month on a mostly party-line vote. The committee’s top Republican, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said this month he would vote against Lu. He and Republicans have targeted Lew as the primary authority on lifting sanctions on Iran as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and Risch and others have accused him of being less transparent.
“This is the wrong person, wrong time, wrong place. We should vote ‘no’ and support Israel,” Risch said in a speech on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. Ta.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Lew denied Republican accusations that he secretly gave Iran access to U.S. financial markets, saying, “My actions are preventing them from having full access to the global financial system.” ” he said. He also said that in Tehran, he believes the United States is dealing with an “evil, malign government that is the first to fund evil, malign activities.”
Israel has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador since July, when its last top diplomat, Thomas Neides, resigned. The post was then filled on an interim basis by career diplomat Stephanie Hallett. Biden nominated Lu in September.
Mr. Lu, who is Jewish, has received support from the Jerusalem Post, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch.
