Saeb Erekat

Born in Jerusalem in 1956, Saeb Erekat was secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee and chief Palestinian negotiator with Israel. He died in November 2020 from Covid-19. He was member of Fatah’s Central Committee, of the Palestinian Legislative Council between 1996-2018, as well as a former university lecturer and editor of the pan-Arab al-Quds newspaper.

Erekat had been centrally involved in the peace process since 1995, but faced controversy over the release of the 2011 Palestine Papers, which revealed that the Palestinian negotiating team had offered extensive concessions to Israel as part of a two-state solution, including control of some key West Bank settlements. He was appointed secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee in July 2015, replacing Yasser Abed Rabbo. Erekat underwent a lung transplant in 2017.

Born in Jerusalem in 1956, Saeb Erekat was secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee and chief Palestinian negotiator with Israel. He died in November 2020 from Covid-19. He was member of Fatah’s Central Committee (CC), of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), as well as a former university lecturer and editor of the pan-Arab al-Quds newspaper.

Erekat had been centrally involved in the peace process since 1995, but faced controversy over the release of the 2011 Palestine Papers, which revealed that the Palestinian negotiating team had offered extensive concessions to Israel as part of a two-state solution, including control of some key West Bank settlements. He was appointed secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee in July 2015, replacing Yasser Abed Rabbo. Erekat required a lung transplant in 2017.

Photo by U.S.-Islamic World Forum via flickrCC BY-NC-ND 2.0.