Schumer moves to confirm Jack Lew to be ambassador to Israel

The Senate will vote to confirm Jack Lew next week as ambassador to Israel, filling a critical void in the diplomatic ranks amid the crisis in the Middle East.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will move Thursday to set up votes next week on Lew, a former Treasury secretary and White House chief of staff. The United States has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador since July, and Israel’s war with Hamas is prompting quick action on Lew, who was nominated in September.

“The team at the U.S. embassy is doing a heroic job under terrible circumstances,” said Schumer, who just visited Israel. “Israel is in crisis. America needs to stand with her and an obvious step would be to make sure we have an American ambassador in place.”

Lew advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday with the support of all the panel’s Democrats and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a libertarian-leaning senator on foreign policy issues. All the other Republicans on the committee opposed Lew.

Lew can be confirmed with a simple majority in the Democratic-controlled Senate, though his backers will be eager for as much bipartisan support as possible.