JERUSALEM, Israel – The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Thomas R. Nides as the United States’ new ambassador to Israel.
Republican and Democrat Senators confirmed President Biden’s nominee in a voice vote. It ended a nearly 10-month long period where the US had no official ambassador to its closest Mideast ally after David Friedman stepped down in January.
Nides was born to a Jewish family in Duluth, Minnesota. He is managing director and vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley, and previously served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013.
President Biden tapped Nides for the position in June and he was not seen as a controversial candidate, but his confirmation struggled to progress through Washington’s deeply partisan divide. Some GOP lawmakers used his nomination as a referendum on Biden’s larger Israel policy, which includes a push to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem. For years, the building served as a liaison office between the Palestinians and Washington before it was made part of the Israeli embassy and put under the US Ambassador to Israel’s authority during the Trump administration.
Nides’ nomination was among dozens of State Department positions that Republicans were blocking from a swift confirmation through holds. Democrats renewed their effort to bring his nomination up for a vote Wednesday night, one day after Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) voted to block it, along with seven other Biden nominations.
Hawley did not name any specific concerns with Nides, only that he was objecting on behalf of himself and his Republican colleagues.
Politico reported that Hawley previously said he would hold up Biden’s national security nominees over his misgivings about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Nides “cares very much about strengthening the US-Israel relationship, so this will be a good day for that relationship.”
“I’m glad the Republican hold on Mr. Nides has been lifted,” Schumer said. “I’ve known him for many years. He’s just the right fit.”
During his confirmation hearings, Nides expressed support for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
“This is a defensive mechanism. It is to stop rockets from raining in on Israel. We are supportive of the replenishment and it is in our national security interest,” Nides said in a hearing that took place in September.
He also vowed to continue strengthening the Abraham Accords, oppose the BDS movement, and cooperate with Israel on foreign investments to counter China.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN and the US, congratulated Nides on Twitter. “I wish you much success in your role and a fruitful tenure at the US Embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem,” he wrote. “I’m sure that you will further strengthen the special bond between Israel and the US.”
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