WASHINGTON, DC: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has taken a pivotal step towards confirming Jack Lew as the next US ambassador to Israel. The committee, led by Democrats, voted 12-9 to advance Lew's nomination on Wednesday, October 25, just a week after he testified before lawmakers at his confirmation hearing.
Lew, who previously served as treasury secretary and White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama, needed a simple majority within the committee to move his nomination to the Senate floor, where the final confirmation vote is expected to take place next week.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stood out as the sole Republican on the committee who joined all Democratic members in supporting Lew's nomination.
Jacob Lew under scrutiny over post-hearing responses
However, it was not without controversy, as some Senate Republicans expressed frustration earlier in the week over Lew's responses to their follow-up questions following his initial hearing. They requested additional information before proceeding with the committee vote.
The full Senate is expected to hold the confirmation vote on Lew's nomination next week at the earliest. However, reaching an agreement among all 100 senators this week is highly unlikely, mainly due to GOP opposition to his nomination.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Lew emphasized his commitment to US-Israel relations and the region's security.
He stated, "Israel’s security is paramount," and he labeled Iran as "a threat to regional stability and Israel’s existence."
Lew further pledged, "I will do my utmost to end the horrific attacks by Hamas and to ensure that 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."
The road to full Senate confirmation may not be entirely smooth. Senate Republicans are divided over Lew's nomination, with concerns stemming from his involvement in the original Iranian nuclear deal in 2015 while serving as treasury secretary.
Some Republicans accused Lew of secretly granting Iran access to US financial markets during that time, a claim he vehemently denies.
"I want to be clear that my actions did not provide Iran with unrestricted access to U.S. financial markets," Lew stated during his confirmation hearing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the nuclear deal, and former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018, a move strongly supported by Israel.
Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the committee who voted against Lew's nomination, expressed his reservations: "I believe that the best you can say about it is he misled Congress badly in operation of the JCPOA and indeed assisted Iran in accessing the U.S. financial system when he had promised us, sitting in the same chair, that he would not do that."
Joe Manchin's support and US-Israel relations
On the other hand, crucial centrist Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, voiced his support for Lew's nomination, highlighting their long-standing friendship despite disagreements over the Iran nuclear deal.
Manchin stated, "Jack Lew is an honest and straightforward person throughout his many years in public service."
He also mentioned that Lew has committed to enforcing and strengthening sanctions against Iran for its role in the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7. "I appreciate Mr Lew's commitment to upholding U.S. interests and security in the region," said Manchin in a press release.
With Manchin's support, Senate Democrats are in a strong position to confirm Lew as the US ambassador to Israel, even in the face of objections from Republicans who label Lew as an "Iran sympathizer."
"Jack Lew is an Iran sympathizer who has no business being our ambassador," Arizona Republican Senator Tom Cotton told Fox News earlier this month.
He added, "It's bad for the United States. It's bad for Israel to have an Iran sympathizer as our ambassador to that country. I know Democrats are saying that we need to confirm Jack Lew quickly to show our support for Israel. I would say it's the exact opposite. We need to defeat Jack Lew's nomination to show that we have a new approach to Iran."
The US has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Israel since July, with Stephanie Hallett, a career diplomat, temporarily filling the role.
Lew, who is of Jewish descent, brings decades of Washington experience and a history of involvement in pro-Israel advocacy circles. He served as the White House chief of staff for the last two years of Obama's first term as well as treasury secretary from 2013 to 2017, NBC News reported.
