Former Treasury Secretary Lev to Become US Ambassador to Israel – DW – 05.09.2023

President of the United States Joe Biden The United States has appointed former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew as its new ambassador Israel recommended. The White House said Lew had “an outstanding career in public service.” The 68-year-old lawyer succeeds Thomas Knights in the top diplomatic post from 2021. The US Senate has yet to officially confirm Lew’s position.

Since 2012, the Harvard graduate served as chief of staff to then-President Barack Obama in the White House before being brought into the Cabinet as secretary of the Treasury in 2013. Lew previously served as an aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Lew is considered a critic of the head of the Israeli government

His appointment comes as Washington seeks to further normalize relations between Israel and Arab countries — particularly Saudi Arabia. Jacob “Jack” Lew, an Orthodox Jew, is considered an experienced politician in the US Democratic Party, well-connected in Israel – and a critic of the Israeli prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu.

Relations between Washington and Jerusalem have been marked by rising tensions since the right-wing religious government under Netanyahu was reinstated in December. The two states are historical allies. The US government sees but specifically Netanyahu’s Controversial Plans to Reorganize the Judiciary and highly critical of Israeli settlement policy in the Palestinian territories. Biden even said in a television interview in July that Netanyahu’s cabinet was “one of the most radical” he had ever seen.

There has been no meeting between Biden and Netanyahu yet

The last one was Biden and Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Washington He stressed the close ties between the two countries despite the current tensions. Biden had previously invited Netanyahu, who was re-elected in November, to a meeting in Washington. However, the date has not been fixed yet.

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