Erekat experiencing ‘ difficult’ COVID- 19 symptoms

Chief Palestinian negotiator and Secretary- General of the Executive Committee of the PLO Saeb Erekat has tested positive for COVID19, the 65- year- old politician announced via Twitter over the weekend.

In a statement on Twitter, an individual writing on Erekat’s behalf said that “The Secretariat of the PLO Executive Committee and the NAD announce that Dr. Saeb Erekat, the PLO SG and the Head of the Negotiations Dept, has been infected with COVID19. We wish him a speedy recovery and apologize for canceling all his appointments until his complete recovery.”

Erekat has canceled all meetings and appointments. In tweets on Friday, he said he was experiencing “difficult symptoms resulting from my lack of immunity as a result of lung transplantation.”

Erekat had a mild heart attack in 2012 and a 2017 lung transplant after years of suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, putting him in a high- risk category for those diagnosed with coronavirus.

He thanked well- wishers and said “things are under control, thank God.”

One of the central architects of the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the PLO, Erekat has been involved as the Palestinian chief negotiator since 1995. He has continued to be the most senior figure in the PLO vis- à- vis negotiations with Israel, and plays an important role in Palestinian politics.

Erekat had previously met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas four days earlier during a meeting of the PLO Executive Committee. All those who attended were later shown to be negative upon receiving coronavirus tests.