Biden taps Tom Nides, an Obama administration official, to be ambassador to Israel
Tom Nides was previously the United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2011 to 2013. Photo by Getty Images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden will name Tom Nides, a deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration, to be his ambassador to Israel.
The Times of Israel first reported the decision. Multiple sources close to the Biden administration confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Nides was the pick for ambassador and would be announced soon. The White House said it had nothing yet to announce.
It was down to Nides and Robert Wexler, a former Florida congressman who for years has helmed the Center for Middle East Peace, a group that advocates backchannel diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians.
A number of centrist and liberal pro-Israel figures were pushing Wexler, believing he had the deeper experience because of his ties and frequent visits to the region. Both Nides and Wexler are Jewish.
Nides, a banker, was the deputy secretary of state for management and resources from 2011 to 2013 and had good relations with Israeli diplomats, although he was less involved in substantive diplomacy. Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador in his book “Ally” chronicling his ambassadorship, described Nides as “irreverent, hard-working, highly intelligent, and warm.” Oren said Nides quickly earned his “affection and trust.”
Wexler in an interview said he called Nides to congratulate him and was ready to assist him in any way he needed.
The former congressman said his experience in the region, which included outreach to actors on both sides perceived to be extremist, was that the United States would have to accommodate more “illiberal” elements if it wanted to advance peace.
“It’s critical that the policymakers of the U.S. government engage with illiberal actors in the Palestinian territories and in Israel,” Wexler said. “That’s how we will alter the political dynamics in a favorable manner.”
The post Biden taps Tom Nides, an Obama administration official, to be ambassador to Israel appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
