U.S. Senate moves towards vote on Trump nominee to be Israel envoy

David Friedman testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, an outspoken bankruptcy lawyer aligned with the Israeli right.

The vote was 52 to 46, almost exclusively along party lines. Only two Democrats, Senators Robert Menendez and Joe Manchin, joined Trump's fellow Republicans in backing Friedman.