Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel, dies at 73

CNN —

Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel under President Bill Clinton and former special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under President Barack Obama, has died at 73.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an organization Indyk co-founded in 1985, released a statement confirming his death and praising his career.

“From the Oslo process to the policy of ‘dual containment’ of Saddam’s Iraq and Islamic Iran, Martin left a deep and lasting imprint on the making and shaping of American Middle East policy,” said Dr. Robert Satloff, the Washington Institute’s executive director.

Indyk’s wife, Gal Hodges Burt, confirmed with numerous outlets that he died due to complications of esophageal cancer at their home in New Fairfield, Connecticut.

Clinton also shared his condolences on X writing, “Martin Indyk was an extraordinarily skilled diplomat who, no matter the obstacles, never gave up on the prospect of peace.”

He added, “I’ll always be deeply grateful for the important role he played in my Administration’s efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East. The world would be better off if there were a lot more people like him.”

A veteran diplomat and an expert on Middle East affairs, Indyk served as US ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001.

The Obama administration tapped him to be special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from 2013-2014.

After his resignation in 2014, Indyk remained a special adviser to Obama on Middle East peace.

As recently as May, Indyk remained vocally engaged on the conflict in Gaza, posting on X a rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claiming the Israeli government was leading Israel to “isolation and ruin”