Biden had an upsetting message for Israel
The U.S. ambassador in Israel after the September 11 attacks: A critical time in the Middle East for a dangerous and unstable world?
Most glaringly, the U.S. does not currently have an ambassador in Israel. The vacancies make it difficult for the Biden administration to pursue a number of goals, from negotiating the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas to defusing the violence in Gaza.
The trip was worth the effort, even though it wasn’t as useful as the goals that were achieved. The United States still has a crucial role to play in defusing international crises and protecting democracies, even after he entered a war zone full of destruction and rage.
And that’s especially true given the dysfunction on display back in Washington during his visit. While Mr. Biden met with Israeli first responders and the families of the victims of Hamas, Republicans in the House were distinguishing themselves by not electing a speaker, by not doing their jobs in passing spending bills and military aid packages, and by not demonstrating that the legislative branch of government has its act together.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing for Jack Lew one month after he was nominated. It is expected to hold a vote next week. The full Senate is expected to confirm Lew’s nomination.
Before Hamas militants launched their surprise attack, at least five U.S. ambassador posts were sitting vacant in the Arabic world, according to the American Foreign Service Association.
“We’re in the midst of an extremely dangerous moment in the Middle East and the value of having a U.S. ambassador on the ground in Israel can’t be overstated,” Pandith said. “It is critical in both the short term and over the longer term.”
The country without the U.S. ambassador is the site of a second recent war. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the top U.S. diplomatic post was not occupied.
Senate acts on ‘unprecedented lack of U.S. ambassadors, spurred by Israel-Hamas war’
Lew was Treasury Secretary under President Barack Obama. He was a director of the Office of Management and Budget during his time in the White House.
Lew’s relatively rapid advance is paralleled elsewhere. The foreign relations panel of the Senate is holding a hearing on Biden’s choice to represent the U.S. in Egypt.
The US diplomatic corps in Israel was busy before the Hamas attack. The U.S had two main objectives: trying to convince Netanyahu to change his position on the judiciary and reaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.
“We have diplomats for a reason,” Pandith said. She said the foreign policy starts in Washington but it takes leadership on the ground to see it through.
“Many of these countries are key regional actors who could be leveraged to advance U.S. interests in resolving the current round of fighting,” Pandith said. “For example, Egypt shares a border with Gaza and Oman is a trusted intermediary between the United States and Iran.”
Egypt: Vacant. The nomination of Herro Mustafa Garg — a former ambassador to Bulgaria who speaks Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi, and several other languages — has been pending since late March. The Senate committee held a hearing for her nomination on Thursday.
Oman: Filled, Oct. 17. Ana Escrogima was confirmed after her nomination languished for four months despite a favorable committee report. The delays were probably due to hold placed in the Senate.
Lebanon: In flux. There was a nomination for Lisa A. Johnson. She would replace Ambassador Dorothy C. Shea, who is nominated to be the U.S. deputy representative in the U.N. The foreign relations panel advanced both of their nominations to the full Senate this summer.
“The irony is that China has also taken to filling the diplomatic void we’ve left in the region,” she said, “the most notable example being this spring when it brokered an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, notorious historical foes.”
Delays in the U.S. Presidential Confirmation Process: From Politics to Peculiar Delayed Efforts
Such delays are a sign of how the confirmation process has become increasingly politicized. In the last four years, the U.S. diplomatic corps has had dozens of vacancies, but most of the longest delays were for political appointees.
