Senior PLO Figure in Critical Condition with Coronavirus

Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat was rushed to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center on Sunday to receive treatment for fast-deteriorating health due to coronavirus. Erekat, who underwent a lung transplant in the United States in 2017, contracted the virus over a week ago and had been undergoing treatment at home in Jericho. As of Monday noon, he was reportedly in critical but stable condition. For nearly three decades, Erekat has been a fixture in the Palestinian diplomatic landscape, serving various roles on the PLO’s negotiating teams and representing his people in international forums. He is perceived as a PLO elder statesman and one of the strongest proponents of the two-state solution.