Senate Democrats call for swift confirmation of Jack Lew as next Israel ambassador

Senate Democrats are calling for the swift confirmation of US President Joe Biden’s nominee to become the next ambassador to Israel Jack Lew against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Republicans — namely Texas’s Sen. Ted Cruz — have previously indicated that they would try block Lew’s confirmation due to their objections with the Biden administration’s Israel policy.

But following Saturday’s Hamas attack on southern and central Israel, Sen. Chris Murphy says he spoke with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Ben Cardin and that the two agreed to make Lew’s nomination the “first matter of business” when Congress reconvenes next week.

Fellow Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz echoes Murphy’s call, tweeting, “This is a serious situation that requires us to set aside our differences and make sure we have our full complement of leaders in defense and foreign policy.”