President Barack Obama named retired Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, to co-chair the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.

Hagel, who will co-chair the board with former Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.), was considered a critic of Israel by many pro-Israel activists during his two terms in the Senate, which ended early this year. In an interview for Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller’s book, he said that “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people” on Capitol Hill.

Hagel also was one of a handful of senators who frequently did not sign AIPAC-backed letters related to Israel and the peace process, and opposed additional sanctions on Iran. — jta