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

Indyk twice served as envoy to Israel and helped to steer US policy in the Middle East

Martin Indyk, pictured in the UAE in 2018. Victor Besa / The National

Martin Indyk, who twice served as US ambassador to Israel, has died, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said on Thursday. He was 73.

“Martin was a true American success story,” Robert Satloff, the executive director of the institute that Mr Indyk helped establish, said in a statement.

“A native of Australia, he came to Washington to have an impact on the making of American Middle East policy and that he surely did – as pioneering scholar, insightful analyst and remarkably effective policy entrepreneur.”

Mr Indyk was born in the UK but spent most of his childhood in Australia before moving to the US in the early 1980s.

Once he obtained US citizenship in his thirties, Mr Indyk rose rapidly through the ranks of the civil and diplomatic services.

In 1995, then-president Bill Clinton named him ambassador to Israel, a position he held until 1997. He was the first Jewish ambassador to the country.

He was again tapped to lead US diplomacy in the region in 2000, when he returned to Israel for a second stint as ambassador.

During the Clinton administration, Mr Indyk was special assistant to the president and was on the National Security Council as senior director for Near East and South Asian Affairs.

“His legacy lives on in the many officials across my administration who were mentored by Martin and learnt first-hand from his vast knowledge, integrity and heart,” President Joe Biden said of Mr Indyk.

“His unshakeable optimism and commitment to peace is as important today as it’s ever been.”

Mr Biden added that both he and the first lady, Jill Biden, were “holding Martin’s family in our thoughts”.

Mr Satloff called his contribution to US policy and the institute he helped found “legendary and immeasurable”.

“Martin Indyk, my friend and colleague of over 40 years, has passed away,” Dennis Ross, former US envoy for the Middle East, said on X that Mr Indyk had “battled cancer the way he lived his life, with purpose and an unrelenting spirit”.

“Martin lived a life of meaning; he pursued peacemaking between Israel and its neighbours with passion, skill and decency.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to Mr Indyk, crediting his work in strengthening ties between Israel and the US.

Mr Indyk possessed a wit that was apparent during interviews, even when tackling the most challenging subjects.

He returned to government during the Obama administration, where he served as special Middle East Envoy to the Israel-Palestinian negotiations. Those talks eventually broke down.

“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,” Mr Satloff said.

“In a region known for volatility, whatever progress America made to advance the cause of peace and security was due in no small measure to Martin’s enormous contributions.”

A deep believer in the two-state solution, Mr Indyk spent much of his career pursuing that diplomatic goal.

“I don't expect it to happen in my lifetime but if we're to help Israel preserve its Jewish democratic and Jewish character, then we're going to have to help it make peace, find a way to resolve its conflict with the Palestinians,” he said in video made by the Israel Policy Forum, of which he was a member.

The veteran diplomat was wary of Israel's current far-right government and accurately predicted to The National in January 2023 that it would pursue a policy of increased settlement activity and divisive actions.