Abraham “Buli” (A. B.) Yehoshua, an Israeli writer who explored Jewish national identity while calling for peace with the Palestinians, died on Tuesday at the age of 85, according to his family.
The Jerusalem-born Yehoshua, known professionally by his first two initials, achieved international renown for his frequently sensual books such as “The Lover” and “The Extra.”
He was a former paratrooper who rose to prominence in the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem and the liberal party Meretz. His advocacy of secular Zionism occasionally riled up foreign or ultra-religious Jews.
In a tribute, President Isaac Herzog remarked that Yehoshua’s work “gave us with an exact, keen, caring, and sometimes also sad mirror picture of ourselves.” “He sparked a kaleidoscope of tremendous emotions within us.”