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Controversial US Ambassador Back to Israel: Official
US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, who was undergoing security investigation, was sent back to curb the current bloodshed, US embassy officials confirmed here Wednesday.
The ambassador, who had returned last weekend to spend the Jewish New Year holidays with his family, was urged Tuesday by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, to join in diplomatic efforts to calm the crisis and avoid further violence.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last month alleged that Indyk mishandled classified files with a common laptop computer.
However, in light of the bloody clashes sweeping the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the past few days, the ambassador's superior relationships with Israeli and Palestinian officials made him the best candidate for mediation.
At least 56, most of them Palestinians, have been killed in the worst bloody clashes since 1996, and more than a thousand wounded. Furthermore, many analysts worried that the bloodshed will halt the peace process between the two sides for a time.
Indyk, who returned to the region to serve his second term as US ambassador to Israel in January, was a Jew but also developed warm ties with Palestinian officials in the past months.
A statement issued by the American Embassy in Tel Aviv said that Indyk will carry out his activities according to the orders from Albright, and stick to "the guidelines provided by the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security."
It was reported that after his security clearance suspension, Indyk was forbidden to talk with foreign leaders for security reasons.
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