Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir dies at 69

Savir was known as a believer in the need for a settlement with the Palestinians

Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir (R) shakes hands with Palestinian Abu Ala after they signed the second phase of the Oslo peace accords in 1993. Savir has died aged 69.

Prominent Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir has died aged 69, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

Savir, known as a believer in the need for a settlement with the Palestinians, died on Friday. No cause of death was given.

Savir, as director of the country’s Foreign Ministry, led an Israeli delegation to negotiate the Oslo Accords, a series of interim agreements with the Palestinians in 1993.

The accords created the Palestinian Authority and set up self-rule areas in the Palestinian territories.

It also produced broken promises, bouts of violence and two failed attempts to negotiate an ultimate peace deal, leaving its creators with a mixed legacy in both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

As hopes for Palestinian statehood have dimmed, Savir remained committed to the vision of a two-state solution.

He often referred to himself as the region’s “last optimist” and stayed in touch with his former Palestinian counterparts.

He founded a Facebook group 'YaLa Young Leaders' that brought together young Israelis and Arabs from across the region for online discussions and courses about peace and coexistence. The group has more than 800,000 followers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Savir “strove for a different Middle East”.

“His contribution to Israel is tremendous and is felt to this day,” he tweeted.

Savir was a close adviser to former Israeli leader Shimon Peres, a driving force behind the peace negotiations, and would go on to help found and lead the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, which promotes co-operation between people in the Middle East.

Savir also briefly served as a legislator in Israel’s Parliament.