Reports indicate that Trump is about to make a pro-Israel State Department outsider America’s top diplomat to the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump is expected to hire David Schenker, a director at the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy, as the State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, BuzzFeed News reported.
If confirmed, Schenker, who was an adviser to former Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, will become the first non-career official since the 1990s to lead the State Department’s Middle East bureau.
Although it’s rare for a State Department outsider to receive the nomination, BuzzFeed said, Middle East analysts, including Republicans and Democrats, expressed some relief given the urgent need for a nominee to lead the bureau since the retirement of career diplomat Anne Patterson last January as well as concerns about other potential candidates for the job.
“David has the benefit of past government experience and has a solid track record of policy research on many of the key issues impacting the region,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think tank aligned with Democrats.
Schenker had served as an adviser to former Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Most recently, in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Rumsfeld praised Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
“It’s a no brainer. It’s the right thing to do,” Rumsfeld said. “President Trump made the right decision — he stepped up and did it. It’s inevitable that there will be some criticism about it. But I just can’t imagine any country in the world that doesn’t believe that they have the right to have their capital where they want it.”
An Israeli former IDF officer in a high level State Department position? Job in high level Israeli post yes not USA. USA & Israel are allies but far from one.
She lives in Efrat? Would want such a job (doubtful). I would bet lots of money this will never happen.
@ Bear Klein:
@ Sebastien Zorn:
My information is that Shenker will not be appointed..
Caroline has just joined Breitbart and they published her CV.
http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/01/17/jerusalem-post-columnist-caroline-glick-joins-breitbart-news/
She is perfect for the job.
She used to communicate with Mudar until she was swayed by a group of people that Mudar was a nothing. That was an abberation. I think there is no reason for her to reject Mudar. Not a problem here.
@ Bear Klein:
She probably retained her US citizenship and it would be a delicious rejoinder to Obama who appointed Muslim Brotherhood people to key posts. And look at Hillary with Abedin.
Schenker is for providing aid to the Lebanese Army which is ludicrous because all the weapons to the Lebanese Army are available to Hezbollah.
@ Ted Belman:
Ted, your joking now appointing an Israeli to a USA high level state department position? That was tongue in cheek right?
@ Ted Belman:
Didn’t she attack and attempt to discredit Mudar Zahran?
Shenker is too pro KIng Abdullah for the Job. Instead Trump should appoint Caroline Glick.