Amos Oz, revered Israeli author and advocate of Middle East peace through ‘painful compromise’, dies of cancer at 79
- Amos Oz had chronicled his country’s transformation into a modern nation through his writings
- He was a forceful critic of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands captured in the Six-Day War of 1967
Amos Oz, who died of cancer on Friday aged 79, was a celebrated Israeli novelist and passionate peace advocate whose stirring memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness became a worldwide bestseller.
His daughter Fania Oz-Salzberger confirmed his death on Twitter and offered thanks to “those who loved him,” as tributes began to pour in.
While his writing is widely acclaimed, he was perhaps equally known as one of the earliest and most forceful critics of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands captured in the Six-Day War of 1967.
In recent years, Oz spoke out against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shunning official Israeli functions abroad in protest at what he has called the “growing extremism” of his government.
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Many viewed him as a conscience of the nation, although he was repeatedly the target of criticism from Israel’s far right.