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Thomas Nides officially named US Ambassador to Israel

A former State Department official during the Obama administration, Nides currently serves as vice chairman of finance industry titan Morgan Stanley.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

After months of speculation, President Joe Biden officially announced on Tuesday his choice of investment banker Thomas Nides as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

“Thomas Nides is a distinguished public servant and business leader,” read a statement from the White House.

“Nides was Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative Micky Kantor, was Senior Advisor to Speaker of the House Thomas S. Foley, and earlier to House Majority Whip Tony Coelho.

“He currently serves on the boards of the Partnership for Public Service, the International Rescue Committee, the Atlantic Council and the Urban Alliance Foundation.”

A former State Department official during the Obama administration, Nides currently serves as vice chairman of finance industry titan Morgan Stanley.

An Israeli official familiar with Nides told Ynet, “He is a warm Jew, a friendly person, pro-Israeli — but will still be a loyal representative of Biden’s policy and won’t easily give concessions to Israel.”

In April, Aaron David Miller, a friend of Nides and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, praised Biden for his expected decision.

Miller told Jewish Insider that Nides has “a real pro-Israeli sensibility, but also I think is capable of the kind of detachment that is critically important to finding the balance in the U.S.-Israel relationship between protecting Israel’s interests and protecting ours.”

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In a statement, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan said, “I look forward to working with him to further the special relations between Israel and the United States and enhancing our cooperation on the many issues at hand…

“We will also continue our dialogue on regional issues such as ensuring that Iran never possesses a nuclear weapon and guaranteeing that aid to Gaza does not end up in the hands of the Hamas terror organization.”

In 2012, Nides advocated for the U.S. government to restore funding to UNESCO after the organization unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state in violation of American law.