President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as US Ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik, a longtime Trump ally, is a staunch supporter of Israel and has also been critical of the UN, claiming there is insufficient support for the war against Hamas.

“Elise is an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement confirming the first Cabinet pick of his second term.

If confirmed, Stefanik would replace U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career diplomat who spent 35 years in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Stefanik said she was “deeply humbled” when she accepted Trump’s nomination and looked forward to “receiving the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate,” which must vote on her nomination to make it official.

“America remains the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek,” Stefanik added in a statement to the New York Post.

The New York congressman has minimal experience in foreign policy and national security. She served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, she has become one of Israel’s most outspoken supporters in Congress, drawing national attention when she led congressional hearings on college presidents’ handling of protests on college campuses after the terror attack.

Last month, she argued that there should be a “complete reassessment of US funding of the United Nations” after the Palestinian Authority tried to expel Israel from the UN over human rights abuses in Gaza.

In a statement on Monday, Israel’s international spokesperson at the UN said the country’s ambassador, Danny Danon, “looks forward to working closely with Elise Stefanik in addressing malicious lies at the UN put forth by hostile countries.” while remaining unwaveringly committed to truth and justice.”

Before Trump’s announcement, Stefanik had risen to become the highest-ranking woman in the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives.

Born and raised in upstate New York, the congresswoman was the first member of her family to earn a college degree after graduating from Harvard University in 2006.

Soon after, she entered politics, serving as a White House domestic policy adviser under President George W. Bush and eventually becoming a senior assistant to Bush’s chief of staff, Joshua Bolten.

Stefanik later became one of Paul Ryan’s top campaign advisers when he ran for vice president with Mitt Romney. When Romney lost, the then-30-year-old moved back to upstate New York and ran for Congress, flipping a Democratic-controlled seat with a victory by more than 20 points.

Stefanik once called herself a traditional conservative among voters, but emerged as one of Trump’s staunchest defenders during the first impeachment trial against him in 2019. Her support for Trump has not wavered since.

“I am proud to be a top surrogate,” Stefanik said earlier this year of her support for the newly elected president. “I would proudly serve in a future Trump administration.”

Her nomination would leave New York’s 21st Congressional District seat open, triggering a special election.

Some Trump allies, including billionaire Elon Musk, have argued that it is too risky to lose Stefanik’s seat as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the House of Representatives, which is still too close to reach.

Additional reporting by Nada Tawfik