Pro-Israel groups want to block appointment of Chuck Hagel as new US defence secretary Critics said Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran, had failed to support Israel in the US Senate, had voted against sanctions on Iran and seized on his use of the phrase "Jewish lobby" in a 2008 interview. Abraham Fox, the national director of the Anti-defamation League, said the comments "border on anti-Semitism" and urged Mr Obama not to tap him for the defence post. "His record relating to Israel and the US-Israel relationship is, at best, disturbing, and at worst, very troubling," Mr Fox told the Washington Post. The more conservative Republican Jewish Coalition said that his appointment would be a "slap in the face for every American who is concerned about the safety of Israel." Mr Hagel would be expected to clear a Senate vote on his nomination but the pre-emptive criticism may be enough to dissuade the White House from selecting him. Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, declined to address the comments by pro-Israel groups but said the President "thinks very highly" of Mr Hagel. Mr Hagel could not be reached for comment through the Atlantic Council, the foreign policy think tank he chairs.