US Ambassador Nides arrives in Israel
The new US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides arrived at Ben Gurion airport on Monday to begin his tenure, ending a 10-month period in which there was no official US envoy in Jerusalem.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides (R) and Israeli Ambassador Gil Haskel. (David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem)
Nides was met at the airport by the Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan Shrier, who signed the transfer of authority certificate to the new ambassador, and by Ambassador Gil Haskel, Chief of Protocol at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He stated that after his first trip to Israel, when he was 15, he wrote to his local newspaper that “’the moment I put my feet on the ground, I had a feeling which I will never forget.’ Landing today in Israel to be US Ambassador is another moment I’ll never forget.”
Nides has undergone a PCR test upon arrival, and he is following the Israeli Ministry of Health guidelines for incoming travellers and will enter quarantine for a few days.
“I’m eagerly awaiting a negative test result so I can begin to meet many of you soon,” he said.
The US Senate confirmed Nides’ appointment at the beginning of November.
Nides, who is Jewish, has served as managing director and vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley and US deputy secretary of state for management and resources during the Obama administration.
TPS
