President Biden said Tuesday he will nominate former Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Mr. Biden chose Mr. Lew, 68, at a critical time for U.S.-Israel relations. The administration criticized judicial reforms pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year and some Democrats boycotted a Capitol Hill visit from Israel’s president.

The incident and remarks from progressive lawmakers sparked cross-claims of antisemitism between the parties even as Congress tried to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel’s statehood.

Mr. Lew will face a Senate confirmation process that will likely revive the debate about Mr. Biden’s approach to Israel, a historically important ally in the Middle East.

Mr. Lew is no stranger to lofty government positions. He served as Treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, when Mr. Biden was vice president, from 2013 to 2017.

Mr. Lew previously served as Mr. Obama’s chief of staff and as director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama and Clinton administrations.

Currently, Mr. Lew is the managing partner of Lindsay Goldberg LLC and a visiting professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University.

If confirmed, Mr. Lew would replace Stephanie Hallett, a career diplomat who took over the ambassador position on an interim basis after Ambassador Thomas Nides stepped down.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.