Saeb Erekat dies at 65

Secretary General of the PLO Saeb Erekat died Tuesday at the age of 65.

After testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 9, Erekat was transferred to a hospital in Occupied Jerusalem Oct. 18 as his condition continued to deteriorate. 

Erekat’s lung transplant in 2017 made him especially vulnerable to the coronavirus.

A senior advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Erekat is the most prominent Palestinian offical to have died from COVID-19. For decades, he was been actively involved in Palestinian diplomacy, including in Madrid, Oslo, Washington, and Camp David. Accordingly, he was well known in the international community as Palestine’s top negotiator.

As a fluent English speaker, Erekat also helped to bring the Palestinian cause into Western media, wherein he was often quoted promoting a two-state solution and speaking against occupational politics.

The Royal Hashemite Court Twitter account said, "His Majesty King Abdullah II, in a phone call, extends condolences to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, over the passing of Saeb Erakat, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and member of the Fatah Central Committee."

Abbas said in a statement that "the departure of the brother and friend, the great fighter Dr. Saeb Erekat, represents a great loss for Palestine and our people, and we feel deeply saddened by his loss, especially in light of these difficult circumstances facing the Palestinian cause."