Biden picks former Obama administration official as next US ambassador to Israel

US President Joe Biden nominated a former Obama administration official as Washington’s next ambassador to Israel, the White House announced Tuesday.

Jacob Lew, who is set to replace Tom Nides, will have his nomination sent to Capitol Hill before he faces questioning and confirmation.

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Nides served almost two years in the country and announced his intention to step down earlier this year. It was reported that he was returning to the US for family reasons.

Lew is the managing partner of Lindsay Goldberg and a visiting professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University.

He previously served as Treasury Secretary for Barack Obama and held other posts as well.

Lew also had posts in the Clinton administration from 1998 to 2001.

Before joining the Obama administration, Lew was managing director and chief operating officer for two Citigroup business units.

He currently chairs the board of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, is co-president of the board of the National Library of Israel USA and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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