Prominent Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erekat has died after contracting the coronavirus, his Fatah party has said. He was 65.
Erekat was secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and was chief negotiator in the U.S.-brokered peace talks with Israel that collapsed in 2014.
He was a vehement critic of Israel’s settlement policy on occupied land which he said undermined the chances for a viable Palestine.
Erekat held the title of chief Palestinian negotiator and was involved in nearly every round of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians going back to the landmark Madrid conference in 1991
On October 8, Erekat confirmed he had been infected with the coronavirus. Three years ago he had a lung transplant in the United States, which suppressed his immune system.
Last week, he was taken from his home in the West Bank city of Jericho to Hadassah Medical Center in Israel and was placed on a ventilator. He was then put into a medically induced coma after his condition deteriorated, Reuters reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
