On Tuesday, Egypt mourned with 'great sadness' and 'deep sorrow' the death of Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, who passed away a short while ago from COVID-19.
In an official statement posted on 'Facebook', Egypt's Foreign Ministry said, "The Palestinian cause and the entire Arab world have lost a steadfast and unwavering fighter, who had clear and legitimate case and goals."
He has devoted his life defending the Palestinian cause through various diplomatic and negotiated means, striving relentlessly to restore the rights of the Palestinian people despite of all the obstacles and difficult circumstances faced by Palestinian cause over the past decades".
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry offers his deep condolences and sympathy to the family of Erekat, the people, and the Palestinian leadership over the loss, according to the statement.
It added that Erekat’s name will remain a “beacon and symbol for honorable resistance and the Palestinian national project."
It is worth mentioning that, almost one month after he tested positive for coronavirus, Palestinian top negotiator Saeb Erekat dies this morning at age 65.
Erekat contracted the virus and was admitted to hospital on Oct. 9, where his condition continued to worsen according to the physicians at an Israeli hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
Erekat had undergone a lung transplant in 2017, which made him especially vulnerable to the coronavirus.
For decades, he had international fame for he was been actively involved in Palestinian diplomacy, including in Madrid, Oslo, Washington, and Camp David. He was thus known as Palestine’s top negotiator.
According to observers, Erekat also helped to bring the Palestinian cause into Western media, wherein he was often quoted promoting a two-state solution and speaking against occupational politics.
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