PLO's Saeb Erekat dies after contracting COVID-19

Saeb Erekat, a prominent Palestinian spokesman for decades, died on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19, his family said.

Erekat, 65, was one of the most passionate and experienced advocates of the Palestinian cause.

Although well known in foreign ministries across the world and regularly featured in the media, he was on the second tier of Palestinian politics and diplomacy.

Fluent in English as well as his native Arabic, he was a high-profile spokesman for Palestinian leaders such as Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, while never a serious candidate to succeed them.

Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), confirmed on October 8 that he had contracted the coronavirus. Three years earlier he had undergone a lung transplant in the United States that left his immune system compromised.

He died after being hospitalised for weeks in Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center.

"With hearts full of sorrow and pain, and with patience, Erekat’s clan everywhere mourns to the Palestinian Arab people and to the Arab and Muslim nation Saeb Erekat,” his extended family clan posted on Facebook.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared a three-day mourning period.

"The departure of the brother and the friend, the great fighter Saeb Erekat, represents a big loss for Palestine and for our people," Abbas' office said in a statement. "We feel deep sorrow for losing him, especially at such difficult times the Palestinian cause is living through."