Senate panel moves Lew nomination to floor – a step closer to getting US envoy to Israel

WASHINGTON – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted Wednesday to advance Jacob Lew as the nominee for ambassador to Israel. 

Lew’s nomination was advanced on a 12-9 vote. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, was the only GOP panel member to join 11 Democrats voting to advance the nomination. The nine other GOP senators on the committee opposed Lew. 

Lew needed a simple majority for his nomination to move to the Senate floor, where a confirmation vote could be next week at the earliest, NBC News reported. 

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, said in a statement that he was “pleased” to see Lew’s nomination moved forward. He said the nominee “has the expertise, temperament, and established record of public service needed for this critical diplomatic post.”

Lew’s “in-depth knowledge about the region will play a critical role in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship moving forward,” Cardin said.

Cardin reiterated the importance of quickly confirming Lew as ambassador to Israel.

“The urgency to confirm this highly-qualified nominee has never been greater,” the senator said. “Israel is at war, and the United States needs an experienced, Senate-confirmed ambassador on the ground working hand in hand with our Israeli partners.”

The panel’s vote came a week after Lew’s confirmation hearing, where he was intensely questioned by many Republican senators because of his connection to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, negotiated when he was secretary of the treasury. 

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee were especially aggressive, questioning everything from Lew’s response to the administration’s handling of the Hamas attacks on Israel to whether he has an explanation for Iran’s revenue from oil.

Paul, however, was absent from last Wednesday’s hearing. 

The United States has not had an ambassador to Israel since Thomas Nides exited the role in July. 

​​“Israel has not just a right…but a responsibility to defend itself,” Lew said at last week’s hearing. “It’s not for revenge, it’s for defending your people.”