Prominent Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir dies at 69

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli media are reporting that Uri Savir, a prominent Israeli peace negotiator and dogged believer in the need for a settlement with the Palestinians, has died. He was 69. Reports say he died Friday. No cause of death was given. Savir led an Israeli delegation to negotiate a series of interim agreements with the Palestinians in 1993 that became known as the Oslo Accords. Despite hopes for Palestinian statehood dimming since then, Savir remained committed to the vision of a two-state solution until the end. He often referred to himself as the region’s “last optimist” and stayed in touch with his old Palestinian counterparts.