During his confirmation hearing, Liu acknowledged that his potential job description has changed rapidly over the past few weeks, with his and his administration's focus shifting from Israel's regional integration and potential normalization with Saudi Arabia to dealing with the Palestinian conflict.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the US Senate approved the appointment of Jack Lew, President Joe Biden's nominee, to serve as the new ambassador to Israel, despite the reservations and opposition of many Republican members to that appointment.

The Senate voted in favor of Liu, a former Treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, by 53 votes to 43.

Israeli circles considered this appointment to be “an important step in the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen support for Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7, and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza.”

Regarding the reason for the Republicans’ reservations about him, the Israeli media said that this is mainly related to his position in support of the nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015.

During his confirmation hearing, Liu acknowledged that his potential job description has changed rapidly over the past few weeks, with his and his administration's focus shifting from Israel's regional integration and potential normalization with Saudi Arabia to dealing with the Palestinian conflict.

Ambassador Liu faced further challenges over the Obama administration's 2016 decision to abstain from voting on a controversial UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlements, although Liu is believed to have been among the US officials who opposed the move internally.

Liu told the committee that the resolution could have been much worse, adding that he did not support the United Nations targeting Israel.

This lukewarm reception from Republicans brought to mind Liu's reception at the Jerusalem Post conference in 2015 in New York, where attendees booed loudly, making it one of the most horrific receptions ever received by a high-ranking official in the US administration by a Jewish audience.

It is noteworthy that Leo, a 67-year-old Orthodox Jew and resident of New York, is considered in many ways a “pioneer of committed Jews in public service,” and that his nomination received strong support from the American Jewish establishment, and major heritage organizations also recorded their support for Leo in the US Congressional Record. .

Liu largely echoed many of the Biden administration's goals regarding Israel's war on Gaza, including securing the release of hostages held in Gaza and providing the unlimited support Israel needs in the future.

He also called for continued engagement with the Palestinian Authority as a priority, similar to the Biden administration's new focus on supporting the Palestinian Authority in the hope of distinguishing between the Palestinians and Hamas.