Senate confirms Jack Lew as Israeli ambassador as war rages in Gaza

The Senate voted 53 to 43 to confirm Jack Lew as the United States’s ambassador to Israel on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden nominated Lew, who was treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, to the Israeli ambassador post in September. His confirmation process was expedited in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which also prompted increased scrutiny from GOP senators over his handling of Iran matters.

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Democrats stood by Lew, who vowed to be a champion for Israel.

“With everything happening in Israel right now, confirming Jack Lew at this moment will be one of the most important and consequential nomination votes the Senate has taken in a long time,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said while announcing the confirmation vote on Thursday.

While most Republicans were critical of Lew, he did sustain some GOP support in the final vote, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rand Paul (R-KY).

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In addition to the Republicans who voted for Lew’s confirmation, a number of Democrats facing tough reelection fights in red states next year also backed Biden’s new Israeli ambassador. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Bob Casey (D-PA), all of whom are running in 2024, voted to confirm Lew.

Democrats control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, meaning that the entire conference needed to back Lew’s confirmation in order to not require GOP support.