Chair cardin killing babies in front of parents, it was not only horrific and barbaric, but methodically planned and carried out. Hamas has started a war. Given the dangerous state of emergency that israel faces, the United States needs a confirmed u. S. Ambassador in jerusalem. We need someone there to reinforce the message that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with the state of israel as a response to the unprecedented terrorist attack. We need someone to lead the remarkable, selfless u. S. Personnel who have been working nonstop at mission israel. We need an ambassador who can work with our israeli partners and help provide services to over 600,000 american citizens here. Secretary lew, it was with great urgency that we hold this nomination hearing today. I am committed to getting you in place in israel as soon as possible. I want to thank senator risch for working with me so we could expedite this hearing today. I thank him for that. We both agree speed is of the essence and having a confirmed ambassador to israel. I ask the cooperation of our colleagues. Im going to ask that questions for record be submitted by close of Business Today and well make every effort to make sure we get those responses to you by this weekend. We have scheduled a business meeting for next week with a vote on this nomination. I ask the committees cooperation because of the urgency of voting on a confirmed ambassador for the state of israel. Since october 7, hamas has killed more than 1,000 innocent people and injured thousands more. They have viciously killed hostages and Still Holding others, including american citizens. I cannot overstate the urgency for the United States to have a confirmed ambassador on the ground. To help deliver u. S. Support for israel. To deal with the hostage situation. To deal with the humanitarian needs. We need an ambassador who at this time can speak with authority and engage diplomatically in the region at the highest level. Secretary lews experience, gravitas, and political acumen makes him qualified to serve as the u. S. Ambassador to israel. I have seen firsthand jack lews commitment to Public Service. His integrity, his dedication to american values, his understanding of the United StatesNational Security needs, and his deep understanding and respect for the legislative branch of government. I also know his effectiveness in crafting solutions to very difficult problems. I want to thank secretary lew for his service to our country and your willingness to continue that service in this critically important position as ambassador to israel. I want to thank your family. We know this is a family sacrifice. Thank you once again for understanding the need for jacks service to our nation. The last time secretary lew was before the senate as a nominee, he was confirmed by an overwhelming majority of 7126. Now is not the time to play political games. We need to make sure that the other nations and terrorist groups do not ceasefire now ceasefire now chair cardin now is not the time to play political games. We need to make sure other nations and terrorist groups do not exploit the crisis and open new fronts in the conflict. We need to be clear with everyone. From hezbollah to lebanon to the regime in iran, to assad in syria and even putin in russia, dont even think about joining our expanding the war. To that end we also need to confirm ambassadors to other critical posts in the region. Doing so would allow ambassador lew to work with Senate Confirmed counterparts in amman, beirut, and cairo to make sure americans throughout the region are safe and our interests are represented to the fullest extent. Secretary lew, there is clearly no shortages of challenges facing you in this post. I look forward to hearing how you plan to address them and what congress can do to support that. We need your eyes and ears to bert understand what is going on in jerusalem. We need you to keep pushing forward more normalization agreements between israel and saudi arabia. We need you to make it clear to our allies and enemies when our friends are in trouble, the United States has their back. But most importantly of all, we need you confirmed. Without objection, ill enter into the record letters of support for secretary lew, including from the American Jewish committee and the antidefamation league. Without objection. At this time let me turn to our very distinguished Ranking Member, senator risch. Senator risch thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for consulting with me as we have over the past week to get to where we are today. We are here today to support israel by filling a vacancy in the position for ambassador to israel. We have an acting char Chesapeake Bay charge there in stephanie. Shes very helpful to me. That and the other officials. We do have things being done there on the ground. I agree with you, we need this thing filled. The problem i have is is it needs to be filled with the right person. The only thing worse than having it empty would be having the wrong person there. I have some issues in that regard. Well talk about and hopefully clear the air today one way or another. 18 years ago israel took the brave step of dismantling israeli settlements in gaza. Senators, Congress Human Rights lawyers. Genocide. Palestine freedom senator risch 18 years ago israel took the brave step of dismantling settlements in gaza and handing it over to the Palestinian Authority. This has been a disaster for the people of gaza and israel as well. Now israel faces an unprecedented crisis on the scale of the september 11 attacks against the United States. Masked gunmen killed entire families in their homes. Massacred babies. Beheaded some. And the elderly. And dragged hostages across the border to gaza. These attacks were brutal and horrific. We mourn the loss of over 1,400 israelis and 31 americans and people from numerous other countries. As israel rightly responds to it safeguard its citizens, its imperative that israel has the freedom to act until they get the job done. This happened to us and to europe in world war ii. The nazis had taken over germany. And we are marching across europe. We made the decision, our allies made the decision that the organization, the nazis, could not exist any further. We didnt just go to battle to defeat germany on the battlefield. We went to war to defeat and dismantle and eliminate the nazis. We did that. It was difficult. We email lit tphad the nazis nazis eliminated the tphazies as a military, political force, cultural force, and Everything Else. The israelis are attempting to do the same thing now with hamas who richly deserve t almost needly after stop the drama. We need a ceasefire now. Stop. Stop the israelis. Senator cardin let me make it clear. We will not tolerate interruptions in our hearing. You see whats going to be happening. We ask that those that have strong views, there is a place to express it. But its not to disrupt this hearing. I will not tolerate that. Senator risch. Senator risch almost immediately after the attacks on israel we saw calls for ceasefire mediation. These are misguided, dangerous, and fail to recognize israels legitimate right to protect its people. And restore deterrence. What happened in gaza is directly linked to iran. That is so important. What happened in gaza is directly linked to iran. The Biden Administration cannot wish away the iranian threat or appease the Iranian Regime with promises of unfrozen funds and sanctions leaf. The attacks in israel and reoccurring attacks against our partners, troops, and diplomats are proof of a failed iran policy. Iran is the supporter of hamas. Which is impotent without iran. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that iran has more recesses to support terrorism today than it did in 2019. U. S. Sanctions enforcement under this administration hasv been lacking. Iran has earned a shocking 80 billion in oil revenue since the Biden Administration took office. Irans oil economy once hobbled at 250,000 barrels a day. Is now selling almost two Million Barrels of oil every day. Mostly to china. We know where that money is going. Irans used to sanctions has grown from 70 vessels to over 300 during the Biden Administration. The unfreezing of funds first in iraq and now the whopping 6 billion from south korea are completely unacceptable. And it makes americans and our partners less safe. It should come as no surprise that these attacks occurred immediately after the Biden Administration unfroze the 6 billion and also gave 75 million directly to enra over my strepb russ objections. Our palestinian policy, the Biden Administration argued restoring funding that i objected to would give the Palestinian Authority to leverage to promote moderate palestinian voices and reform organizations like unrwa. Two years later we have seen no reform. Violence is at record levels. Pay for swhraeu is active. And palestinians identify with terror groups to meet their aspirations. Like iran policy, its time for a wholesale reevaluation of palestinian policy. Today we are here to help israel. We are here to look at the vacancy that exists. The nominee thats been put before us. We are here to help israel. Secretary lew, i have reservations on your appointment as americas ambassador to israel. Not only will you need to support israel as it responds to these attacks, but also as it contends with the enduring and indeed existential iranian threat, which i think is an underlying and foundational issue here. I have reservations about your ability to do that. You played a key role in supporting the Obama Administrations nuclear negotiations. And i have had longstanding concerns over a lack of transparency before congress on the transfers of cash to the regime. You have publicly insisted the transfers of cash do not free up iranian resources for terror activities. I fundamentally agree with that assessment. Really importantly, its alleged you lied or at least misled us, this very committee, on that i have three items i want to insert in the record and will i, mr. Chairman, two are Opinion Pieces from the Washington Post. And the third one is a report by the permanent subcommittee on investigations, which has been authored. I would like to enter though. Chair cardin o without objection, it will be included in the record. Senator risch ill have questions about your activities in what i think was a backhanded way of supporting iran. With that im going to yield back. Im here to support israel today. Help every way i can. But as i say its said its important we get the right person in this position. Chair cardin we will now hear from secretary lew. Your full statement will be made part of the record. You may proceed as you wish. Secretary lew thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Chairman cardin, Ranking Member risch, members of the committee. Im honored to appear as the president s nominee to serve as u. S. Ambassador to the state of israel. Im grateful to President Biden and secretary blinken for the trust and confidence that they have shown at this critical moment. If confirmed i look forward to working closely with you and other members of congress to advance u. S. And israeli interests. Joining me today are my wife, ruth, and our children. They supported this mission when the immediate focus was to expand the Abraham Accords by further integrating israel into the middle east region. And they remain supportive as israel in the midst of a war. With the dream of working towards more peaceful days. As always knowing that they are behind me is at the core of my ability to serve. I cannot remember a time when israel struggled for security was not at the forefront of my mind. I came of age in a family that combined belief and religious zionism. When i was 12 the age of my oldest grandchild now, we followed daily reports of the sixday war as closely as you could for our daily newspapers and broadcast news. In 1973, the year i came to washington as a young man, i learned of the yom kippur war and synagogue on our most solemn day of prayer. I worried deeply about the survivial of the state of israel. The horrific and murdersous terrorist attacks two days ago shattered another holy day. And learning again of an attack on israel at a Prayer Service was an experience i had hoped never to repeat. At this moment there is no Greater Mission than to be asked to strengthen the ties between the United States and israel. To work towards peace in the region that has known so much war and destruction. The savage attack demands the condemnation of the world. And President Biden has made clear that the United States stands with israel in its efforts to defend itself. I will do my utmost to end the horrific attacks by hamas, and ensure that israel has what it needs to defend itself. And i will spare no effort in working to help american citizens now captive to return home safely. And i will work to root out payments to terrorists and their families as rewards for their heinous crimes. If confirmed, will i work to prevent other state or nonstate actors from expanding this conflict to new fronts. And i will coordinate with International Community to address the humanitarian crisis facing innocent civilians in gaza who are being used as human shields by hamas. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, i want to be clear. Iran is a threat to regional stability and to israels existence. If confirmed, i will uphold President Bidens commitment to deny iran a nuclear weapon. And warning to the region that anyone who is thinking of taking advantage of the current crisis, dont. I will work to strengthen israels security. Israels our closest partner in the region and its security is paramount. The president has been clear the u. S. Commitment to israel is ironclad. Demonstrated in part by our 38 billion memorandum of understanding. In the midst of war, our longterm strategic objectives must also remain clear. If confirmed, i will work to advance comprehensive and lasting peace through a negotiated twostate solution to the israelipalestinian conflict. And more broadly to build upon the Abraham Accords and promote more integration, normalization, and cooperation across the region with israel as a fully recognized partner. I look forward to deepening economic and commercial relationships, enhancing cooperation and Economic Security in sectors such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, transportation, smart agricultural technologies, and clean energy. As israels economy grows and diversifies, the u. S. And israel must enhance our close cooperation on Foreign Investment risk management. If confirmed, i will continue to oppose all efforts to isolate and delegitimatize Israel International and support the global fight against antisemitism. Will i advance tireless work of this administration to firmly reject the boycott, investment and sanctions movement. While respecting the rights of all americans to free speech. I will work to reinforce collective efforts to combat antisemitism, building on President Bidens National Strategy to counter antisemitism, including the abhorrent incidents in the wake of the hamas attacks on october 7. More broadly, if strengthen mr. Lew well, senator, i have to say that, um i dont think i could have found the words to say as eloquently what the president has said on multiple occasions over the last week, israel not just has a right but a responsibility to defend itself and what makes our relationship with israel so special is that we share a common belief in democracy and in the rule of law and that includes the law of war. I think that is what israel believes. And this is not the time for us to be lecturing israel on what they have to do to establish the security that they have a responsibility to provide. Um, and i think they know they have to do it in a way that is consistent with minimizing the impact on innocent civilians. As we learned in, in fallujah and in mosul and ramadi, it is very hard, very hard for there not to be Collateral Damage. So i dont think the standard can be that it gets to zero. And i dont think thats what the president said. The president said they have to defend themselves. Senator romney, thank you, mr chairman. Sen. Romney um, i, along with a handful of other senators were in israel over the weekend and had the chance to meet with leadership there, former leadership of the country as well as with military leaders and with families of hostages. And i know that your confirmation can be done by one party alone and youre likely to be confirmed on that basis. But that being said, there are a few things id like to pass along to you assuming that you do become ambassador. One is that our chief of mission is a highly respected individual, respected by the israeli leadership and is working in the interest of the United States and is someone who we respect enormously as well, meeting with the families of hostages, their stories and the experiences are heartbreaking, the outrage, the brutality, the inhumanity of hamas in the way they took children and others and grabbed them and took them across the border is hard to comprehend, um, and, and we need to do everything within our power to release, secure the release of those hostages. I