US President Joe Biden
US President Joe BidenOfficial White House Photo by Adam Schultz

US President Joe Biden has narrowed down his list of candidates for ambassador to Israel to Tom Nides, a former official in the Clinton and Obama administrations and Robert Wexler, a former congressman from Florida, The Forward reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the White House.

According to the report, the appointment could come as soon as this week, with Nides emerging as the likely pick. The sources said Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in favor of Wexler while Steve Ricchetti, a counselor to the president, is pushing for Nides’ appointment.

A White House spokesperson told The Forward they have “nothing to share on personnel matters.”

Last week, The Washington Post reported that Biden is expected to nominate Nides to be the US Ambassador to Israel.

Nides replaced Jack Lew as deputy secretary of state for management and resources in 2011 and also served as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s liaison to Congress. Since 2013, he has served vice chairman of Morgan Stanley.

Wexler represented Florida's 19th congressional district from 1997 until 2010. In 2015, he was one of 11 Jewish former members of Congress who signed an ad calling for support of the nuclear deal with Iran.