[ad_1]
- The secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, passed away, the former negotiator of the peace talks died because of Covid-19.
- The 65-year-old man had been in a Jerusalem hospital since mid-October due to severe respiratory problems after a corona disease.
- After his condition worsened, he was placed under general anesthesia and artificial ventilation.
According to the doctors, the treatment was particularly difficult because Erekat’s immune system was suppressed after a lung transplant three years ago.
Erekat was considered a close confidante of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The doctor of political science had been chief negotiator in negotiations with Israel since the mid-1990s. The talks have been dormant since 2014.
Fight for a two-state solution
Erekat had advocated for a two-state solution and always criticized Israeli settlement development as an obstacle to peace. He rejected US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Middle East, published in January, as the “fraud of the century” and a unilateral pro-Israel initiative.
Erekat had also strongly criticized the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and two Gulf states because the agreements had been reached without a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The fact that Israeli doctors recently fought for his life sparked a lot of malicious comments on social media. Erekat leaves behind a wife and four children.
Activity as chief negotiator
The political scientist had been chief negotiator in negotiations with Israel since the mid-1990s. However, the talks have been dormant since 2014. People around him described Erekat as smart and efficient. At the same time, he was seen as a tough negotiating partner who loyally implemented the guidelines of his political leadership.
The Palestinian politician was born in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1955. He comes from a large and highly branched family that considers itself part of the Palestinian upper class due to its wealth. He was initially a close follower of the PLO president, Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004. After Abbas promoted him to PLO general secretary in 2015, some saw him as a future president.
Professor at Nablus University
Erekat did not speak Hebrew, but he was fluent in English. In conversations with Western television stations, he deliberately explained the point of view of the Palestinians. He studied in San Francisco and Bradford, UK, among others. There he obtained a doctorate in peace and conflict studies.
In Britain it was also clear to him for the first time that the Middle East conflict could not be resolved by force, but only through negotiations, he later said. Upon his return to the Palestinian Territories, Erekat became a professor of political science at the University of Nablus. He also worked as a journalist.
