Landau, an Orthodox Jew, was married to Jackie, a rehabilitation teacher of visually impaired children.

For his obituary, The Economist wrote: "Mr Landau was a writer of wit and integrity whose thirst for justice for Palestinians and for a better understanding of Israel across the world was paramount.

"[6] Landau worked as a volunteer intern for The Jerusalem Post in 1967,[7] after refusing to return home during the Six-Day War despite his family's entreaties.

[12] Landau was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to advancing UK/Israel understanding and peace in the Middle East.

[13][14] In 2007, Landau stirred up controversy when he reportedly told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "Israel wants to be raped by the U.S." in order to achieve a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians and that it would be like a "wet dream" for him to see this happen.