US President Joe Biden has officially nominated Thomas R. Nides to be the next American Ambassador to Israel, the White House announced Tuesday.
Nides served as the State Department’s Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2010 – 2013 and is the current vice-chairman of the Morgan Stanley investment banking company. He has close ties with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Nides will need to be confirmed by the Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority.
President Biden has faced some criticism from members of Congress and foreign policy experts for not appointing an ambassador to Israel since taking office in January. The need to appoint a permanent ambassador became even more apparent during the 11-day war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza last month.