A former US deputy secretary of state, Thomas R. Nides, is the likely nominee to be the next US ambassador to Israel, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The report, which cites several people familiar with White House plans, also names other likely Biden diplomatic picks.
Nides is the managing director and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley. He has previously worked in several financial institutions including Credit Suisse and Burson-Marsteller.
He served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources in the Obama administration from 2011 to 2013. In that position he oversaw the recommendation to Congress to approve a three-year extension of loan guarantees to Israel worth $3.8 billion. He also worked to thwart Congressional efforts to cut US support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNWRA, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.
He is a member of the boards of the Atlantic Council, the International Rescue Committee, the Partnership for Public Service, the Urban Alliance Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Nides would replace Ambassador David Friedman, who was former President Donald Trump’s real estate lawyer before taking up the post in Israel.