(JTA) — Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s top Middle East peace negotiator, will leave the White House at the end of the month.
Greenblatt announced in early September that he would step down from his position after working under Trump in the White House for two-and-a-half years. The White House suggested that he was able to step down because the Trump administration’s Israel-Palestinian peace plan was written, though it had not yet been rolled out.
Greenblatt originally had suggested that he would stay on until the plan was rolled out, but with a new Israeli national election and the lack of progress in the formation of a new government, it does not appear that the plan will be announced in the near future. Greenblatt, the chief architect of the plan, which Trump has called the “deal of the century,” has offered to help advance the peace process once it is rolled out, even though he will not be employed by the White House, the Jerusalem Post reported.
In a tweet on Sunday, Greenblatt wrote that “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to work at the @WhiteHouse under the leadership of @POTUS. Incredibly grateful to have been part of a team that drafted a vision for peace which, at the right time, has potential to improve the lives of millions of people.”
Greenblatt is expected to look for a job in the private sector. An attorney, he has worked for Trump since 1997, and was executive vice president and chief legal officer to Trump and the Trump Organization when Trump named him as his representative for International Negotiations just prior to assuming the presidency.
