Senior Israeli officials interviewed for this article praised Mr. Nides, saying he has handled an explosive situation deftly. Because he is close not only to Mr. Biden but also to Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Blinken, Israelis say they see him as an authoritative representative of the Biden administration.
“He’s a great people guy, and he’s managed to keep this relationship good through these very challenging times,” added Mr. Bennett, one of three Israeli prime ministers Mr. Nides has worked with in less than two years. “I cannot recall an ambassador who had to go through such a roller coaster in Israel — different governments, different prime ministers and different policies.”
In one notable bit of outreach, Mr. Nides took steps soon after he was appointed to develop a working relationship with Ron Dermer, an Israeli ambassador to Washington during Mr. Netanyahu’s previous tenure. Obama administration officials resented Mr. Dermer for being, in their view, a de facto Republican ally. Mr. Nides’s approach, which rankled some Democrats, showed strategic wisdom, some people familiar with the situation said, given that Mr. Dermer is among Mr. Netanyahu’s closest confidants.
Nor did it go unnoticed in Israel that Mr. Nides called Mr. Netanyahu to congratulate him within minutes of his election victory in November.
Behind the scenes, Mr. Nides often speaks with Palestinian officials and has advocated some Palestinian interests. Israeli officials say his persistence was crucial to their recent opening on a nearly full-time basis of the Allenby Bridge, a key crossing from the West Bank into Jordan that had long operated only on a limited basis, to great Palestinian frustration. Mr. Nides visited the crossing at midnight in November to highlight the value of extending its hours.
Born in Duluth, Minn., Mr. Nides grew up in a secular, liberal Jewish family. His father, Arnold Nides, was the president of Temple Israel and the Duluth Jewish Federation.
Thomas Nides got his political start as a college student, interning for Vice President Walter Mondale and working as a senior aide on Capitol Hill and as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton’s U.S. trade representative, Mickey Kantor.
