Indyk was a two-time ambassador to Israel and once served as special assistant to then-President Bill Clinton. He takes up the position as direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians are set to resume Monday in Washington.
Martin Indyk, arrives for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Updated 11:21 a.m.
Secretary of State John Kerry named former Ambassador Martin Indyk as the new Middle East peace envoy on Monday as peace talks between Israeli and Palestinians get set to resume.
Direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians were scheduled to resume Monday evening in Washington after a three-year stalemate. Kerry has made six visits to the region since assuming his role as head of the State Department in February.
A two-time ambassador to Israel who served from 1995 to 1997, and again from 2000-2001, Indyk currently heads the foreign policy program at The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank. He is also the founding director of the Institute’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
Indyk also served as the assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs and senior director for Near East and South Asia in the U.S. National Security Council. He worked as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton.
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell and Catherine Chomiak contributed reporting.