Biden chooses Antony Blinken as secretary of state
US (QNN)- Biden officially announced Blinken’s nomination on Monday, hours after several media outlets reported the news about the nomination on Sunday.
Today, I’m announcing the first members of my national security and foreign policy team. They will rally the world to take on our challenges like no other—challenges that no one nation can face alone.
It’s time to restore American leadership. I trust this group to do just that. pic.twitter.com/uKE5JG45Ts
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 23, 2020
“Honored to announce, officially, that I have been nominated to serve as Secretary of State,” Antony Blinken tweeted on Monday.
The messages from friends and colleagues that I’ve received over the past 15 hours have been humbling.
Honored to announce, officially, that I have been nominated to serve as Secretary of State. If confirmed, this is a mission I will take on with my full heart.
— Antony Blinken (@ABlinken) November 23, 2020
Blinken was a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, a national security adviser to Biden when he was vice-president, before becoming deputy national security adviser to Barack Obama and deputy secretary of state.
“True friend of Israel”
Blinken is Jewish and his stepfather was a Holocaust survivor.
Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the US, called Blinken “a great diplomat and true friend of Israel.”
“I had the honor and pleasure of working with him for years in Washington and know him to be brave and clear-sighted statesman. I can think of no finer choice,” Oren wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations to Tony Blinken, a great diplomat and true friend of Israel, for his nomination as Secretary of State. I had the honor and pleasure of working with him for years in Washington and know him to be brave and clear-sighted statesman. I can think of no finer choice.
— Michael Oren (@DrMichaelOren) November 23, 2020
After a visit to the State Department in 2016, which included a meeting with Blinken, Former Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold said he was “impressed with Blinken and found him to be very professional and a good listener.”
“Blinken’s attitude towards Israel was contrary to some officials in the Obama administration who were simply difficult,” Gold said.
“I think he’s worth investing time in and I think he can be a very positive influence,” Gold added.
After their 2016 meeting, Blinken tweeted, “In face of unprecedented regional threats, affirmed ironclad support for Israeli security with Israel Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold.”
In face of unprecedented regional threats, affirmed ironclad US support for Isr. security w/ @IsraelMFA DG Dore Gold pic.twitter.com/fIvXlO7mQb
— Antony Blinken (@ABlinken) January 12, 2016
In a recent interview with The Times of Israel, Blinken highlighted the incoming administration’s commitment to Israel’s security and said it could review a massive arms deal to the UAE as part of preserving Israel’s Quantitative Military Edge.
American Jewish Committee (AJC), has welcomed the nomination of Blinken, saying he has the “breadth and depth of experience to ably oversee the implementation of U.S. foreign policy under President Biden.”
“Blinken is intimately familiar with the full scope of the President-elect’s foreign policy views, as well the issues of utmost concern to the Jewish community, including full-throated support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, widening the growing circle of Arab-Israel peace, the fight against global antisemitism, and the danger posed by Iran and its proxies,” said David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee.
Heartfelt congratulations to our friend @ABlinken, a staunch ally of Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship, on his nomination as the next U.S. Secretary of State. We look forward to further deepening our partnership and wish him much success in his new post.
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) November 23, 2020
In June 2020, Blinken reaffirmed Biden’s support for Israel and his opposition to the BDS movement.
“You can count on Joe Biden to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself, to honor the bipartisanship traditions of U.S. support for Israel, to safeguard, not put at risk, Israel’s future as a Jewish, and democratic state,” Blinken stated.
He added, “Joe Biden has spoken out strongly and stood strongly against the BDS movement. He’s also been very clear that he would not tie military assistance to Israel to things like annexation or other decisions by the Israeli government with which we might disagree.”
In a briefing with the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) on May 2020, Blinken talked up Biden’s pro-Israel credentials restating the campaign’s commitment to the partnership with Israel.
“He would not tie military assistance to Israel to any political decisions that it makes. Period. Full stop. He said it; he’s committed to it. And that would be the policy of the Biden administration,” said Blinken.
Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, however, commented to the news by saying she hoped Blinken would not try to suppress her right to speak out against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his racist policies.
So long as he doesn't suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu's racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice. https://t.co/SLhT3yYc4i
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 23, 2020
