Saeb Erekat, 65, chief Palestinian negotiator and longtime leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), passed away on Tuesday following a month-long battle with COVID-19, which left him hospitalized and in critical condition.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to whom Erekat was a long time advisor and colleague, announced Erekat’s death in a statement early Tuesday afternoon, saying the “the departure of the brother and the friend, the great fighter Saeb Erekat, represents a big loss for Palestine and for our people.”
“We feel deep sorrow for losing him, especially at such difficult times the Palestinian cause is living through, the statement said.
Erekat’s family released a statement saying he “lived a life full of thought, love, forgiveness and peace and he will be dearly missed.”
“Saeb has shown an extraordinary patience and resilience, with the same determination that has characterized his career to achieve freedom for Palestine and a just and lasting peace in our region,” the family’s statement said.
President Abbas declared a three-day period of mourning in the West Bank and ordered Palestinian flags to be flown at half-mast.
Erekat’s death comes less than a month after his family announced that he had been hospitalized and placed in a medically-induced coma in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, shortly after he contracted the coronavirus.
Erekat was a high-risk patient, as he previously had a heart attack in 2012, and in 2017 and underwent a lung transplant.
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, fellow PLO leader and friend of Erekat, mourned his death, saying that she has worked beside him since the 1980’s in his pursuit “of our people’s unassailable right to a life of dignity, justice, freedom, and rights, free from the brutality of Israel’s domination and military occupation.”
World leaders and diplomats showed an outpouring of support for the Palestinian leader, which the King of Jordan, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, the UK Foreign Secretary, and UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace, among many others, releasing statements commemorating Erekat’s life and contribution to the Palestinian cause.
Joseph Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said that Erekat’s passing “represents a great loss for the Palestinian people and for the Middle East peace process.”
An unchanging presence in Palestinian politics for decades, Erekat served under both Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. He stood at the forefront of Palestinian negotiations, and was a staunch supporter and advocate of the two-state solution, Palestinian sovereignty, and an end to the Israeli occupation.
Erkat most recently led negotiations with the current US administration under President Donald Trump, prior to the severing of diplomatic ties between the PA and the US in late 2017.
Following Erekat’s hospitalization a month ago, Palestinian political analyst Diana Buttu told Mondoweiss Erekat’s passing “will be the end of anything called the peace process.”
“We’ve already seen the informal death, but his passing will signify the formality of it,” she said.
http://www.dci.plo.ps/en/article/16860/On-Behalf-of-the-PLO-Executive-Committee-Dr-Hanan-Ashrawi-Dr-Saeb-Erekat-will-be-remembered-for-his-tireless-dedication-to-peace-and-freedom
The Palestine Liberation Organization Press Release, Nov. 10/20
“On Behalf of the PLO Executive Committee, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: ‘Dr. Saeb Erekat will be remembered for his tireless dedication to peace and freedom.’
“It is with great sadness and sorrow that we received news of the passing of Dr. Saeb Erekat, the Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, due to complications from the COVID19 virus. Our thoughts are now with Dr. Saeb’s immediate family and loved ones.
“Today, we mourn the loss of a dear colleague and a Palestinian patriot; someone who loved life and fought hard to secure a life of freedom for himself and his people. Personally, I mourn the loss of a friend and colleague with whom I worked since the 1980s in pursuit of our people’s unassailable right to a life of dignity, justice, freedom, and rights, free from the brutality of Israel’s domination and military occupation.
“Dr. Saeb dedicated his life to the service of the Palestinian people and cause. He was part of many historic milestones in our people’s ongoing struggle for liberation. Dr. Erekat will be remembered for his indefatigable and tireless dedication and commitment to achieving peace and freedom for the Palestinian people. He will be missed by his colleagues, the Palestinian people, and many around the world.
“We hope that Dr. Saeb’s family will find strength and solace in the outpouring of genuine empathy and grief from his fellow compatriots and friends around the world. May he rest in eternal peace.”
RIP. The Palestinians have lost a strong voice, and even after decades find no resolution to the conflict. Many voices have gone.