Erekat remains in critical condition

PLO Secretary- General Saeb Erekat was in critical condition Monday evening as doctors at Hadassah- University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem labored to save his life.

Erekat’s family was called to his room to bid farewell after his condition deteriorated later in the day, Palestinian sources said.

Erekat was transferred from his home in Jericho to the hospital in an Israeli ambulance on Sunday, 10 days after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He was ventilated with a high concentration of oxygen and nitric oxide gas and is in the prone position, the hospital said in a statement Monday afternoon.

“He has received concentrated convalescent plasma with high levels of anti- COVID antibodies,” the statement read, adding that his doctors have consulted with specialists from Tel Aviv, New York and Washington.

Earlier, the hospital announced that Erekat, 65, had a quiet night, but his condition deteriorated

Monday morning and was critical.

Due to respiratory distress, Erekat is in a coma and ventilated, and his treatment presents a significant challenge, his doctors said. As the recipient of a lung transplant, he is immunosuppressed and suffers from a bacterial infection in addition to the coronavirus, they said.

Erekat underwent a lung transplant in the US three years ago.

Erekat’s daughter, Dalal, said her father’s condition remained critical. “An international medical team” was supervising his care, she said. Her statement came in response to rumors that Erekat had died in the hospital.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and several senior PA officials phoned Erekat’s family to inquire about his condition and wish him a speedy recovery.

Erekat, who previously served as chief PLO negotiator with Israel, is a senior member of the ruling Fatah faction. His name has been mentioned often as a potential successor to Abbas.