Martin Indyk quits State Department, will continue to consult

Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Martin Indyk is resigning as the chief U.S. negotiator for Israeli-Palestinian peace, but will continue to consult on the matter, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

“I’m grateful for the wisdom and insight he’s brought to our collective efforts,” Kerry said in a statement first posted by a Time Magazine reporter on his Twitter account.

The statement said Indyk will “continue to work closely “ with Kerry now that he has left government and returns to the Brookings Institution think tank as a vice president and director of foreign policy.

Indyk, hired last July, coordinated negotiations until they collapsed in April. Israeli officials expressed anger with Indyk for saying that Israeli settlement expansion was a principal reason for the talks’ collapse.