Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, speaks at an Institute for National Security Studies forum in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 2, 2011. Reuters
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, speaks at an Institute for National Security Studies forum in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 2, 2011. Reuters
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, speaks at an Institute for National Security Studies forum in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 2, 2011. Reuters
Saeb Erekat, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation who died on Tuesday, burst on to the international media scene three decades ago on prime-time American news.
At the height of the First Intifada in 1989, ABC Nightline ran a series of debates and reports on the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
Host Ted Koppel, a veteran journalist and son of German Jews who fled Adolf Hitler, gave the Palestinians a significant part of the three-hour series to explain their point of view.
Erekat, who was then in his mid-30s, was the youngest member of a Palestinian panel that debated with Israeli figures at a packed Henry Crown Symphony Hall in Jerusalem.
He was also, by far, the least composed.
Next to him was Haidar Abdel Shafi, the late Palestinian statesman and a model of decorum and eloquence, and Hanan Ashrawi, a savvy communicator on TV and his colleague until the end of his life.
It was a historic opportunity to address the US public directly and capitalise on the non-violence that marked the first Palestinian Intifada.
Abdel Shafi and Ms Ashrawi scored points with the sceptical audience, only to be undermined by the outbursts from Erekat, who had a PhD from Britain and came from a district on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
The nerves he clearly felt during the debates followed him into his political career, but his first impressions did not prevent him from becoming a fixture of on-and-off peace negotiations with Israel.
Nor did they stop him becoming – to many around the world at least – the face of those Palestinian negotiations.
Palestinian protesters wave flags as Israeli troops take position during a protest against Jewish settlements in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah. Reuters
Now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secured a new term in office, there’s little to prevent him from annexing large parts of the West Bank as early as this summer. AP
An Israeli soldier stands guard during a tour made by Israeli parliament members in the Jordan Valley near the Jewish settlement of Maale Efrayim. Reuters
Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinian demonstrators gather during a protest against expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. AP
King Abdullah (r) of Transjordan on May 13, 1948 in Amman with Abed Al Rahman Azzam, the secretary general of the Arab League and Abd Al Elah Ibn Ali, the Prince Regent of Iraq, the day before the beginning of the first Arab-Israeli War. AFP
Palestinians surrender to Israeli soldiers in June 1967 in the occupied territory of the West Bank after Israel launched a pre-emptive attack on Egypt and Syria and seized the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights in Syria as well as the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. AFP
A Palestinian child plays in a refugee camp in Jordan on June 23, 1967. AFP
PLO chairman Yasser Arafat delivers a speech to the Palestine National Council meeting to make the historic proclamation of a Palestinian state in the Israeli-occupied territories and to recognize Israel in the Palace of Nations conference hall on November 12, 1988, in Algiers. AFP
US President Bill Clinton stands between PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzahk Rabin as they shake hands for the first time on September 13, 1993 at the White House. AFP
Hussein Ibn Talal, King of Jordan and Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin shake hands after they exchanged the documents of the Peace Treaty at Beit Gabriel conference centre on November 10, 1994 on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee. AFP
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the Palestinian leadership meeting and threatened to end security coordination with Israel and the United States, saying Israeli annexation would ruin chances for peace. AFP
Houses in the Israeli settlement of settlement of Kedumim are seen in the foreground as part of the Palestinian city of Nablus is seen in the background (far left) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters
Israel's controversial concrete barrier (C) separating the Jewish settlement of Neve Yaakov (foreground) in the northern part of east Jerusalem and the Palestinian area of al-Ram (background) in the occupied West Bank. AFP
An Israeli activist holds a banner during a protest against the US peace plan for the Middle East, in front of the US ambassador's residence in Jerusalem, on May 15, 2020, as Palestinians commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the 1948 Nakba or "catastrophe". AFP
A Palestinian shepherd tends to his camels on arid land considered to be in "Area C" (under Israeli security and administrative control), southeast of Yatta town in the southern West Bank district of Hebron. AFP
A general view of the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh, as seen from the Palestinian village of Azmout near the West Bank City of Nablus. EPA
The West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Michmash. AP
His lack of composure did not hinder his rise to the top of the PLO as its secretary general and did not stop him being a stalwart voice calling clearly for a two-state solution and a viable, independent Palestinian nation.
This year, Erekat summed up the convoluted and complex decades-long Palestinian struggle for freedom in stark and simple terms.
"It's our inalienable, sacred, long overdue and internationally recognised right to be free," he told The National as he laid out the Palestinian rejection of US President Donald Trump's new roadmap to peace.
“Our right to self-determination has been systematically denied by Israel, now with the support of the US.
“It is not news for us that the efforts of the Trump team are not in the direction of an independent, sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine, but towards that of normalisation of the Israeli colonial occupation over the land and people of Palestine."
Erekat was at the heart of the framework of deals that started the Palestinian peace process, starting as deputy to Abdel Shafi in the talks that led Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat and Bill Clinton to meet at the White House in 1994 to sign the first Oslo Accords.
As Abdel Shafi cautioned that the deals paid only lip service to Palestinian rights while making the PLO and the Palestinian Authority dependent on co-operation with Israel, Erekat pushed on and led the Palestinian delegation from 1996.
He worked for years to further the path of dialogue, even at times when it seemed remote.
In the Palestine Papers, leaked documents mainly from his own office that chronicled the workings of the negotiations with Israel from the late 1990s until 2010, he came across as an affable, self-deprecating negotiator.
Despite criticism from Palestinian colleagues that he was weak, he appeared to have recognised the power of Israel without ever being intimidated by it.
But the early momentum Erekat helped to create in the 1990s faded and entrenched positions, including his own, became harder to break.
In Palestinian politics, his career charted the course of the PLO from armed group to political party, but also its course from radical leftist struggle to its contemporary moribund, sickly fixture.
A close ally of Arafat, Erekat clashed with current President Mahmoud Abbas when the elder leader of the Palestinians yielded to pressure to appoint a prime minister with real powers in 2003.
He ultimately kept his place after Arafat died a year later, and remained central to Palestinian politics.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat gestures during the Palestinian National Council meeting in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on April 30, 2018. Reuters
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat gestures as he speaks to foreign diplomats during a tour near Jewish settlements in the West Bank village of Jaloud near Nablus on March 16, 2017. Reuters
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat holds a map as he speaks to media about the Israeli plan to appropriate land, in Jordan Valley near the West Bank city of Jericho, on January 20, 2016. Reuters
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat delivers an address at the Arab School in Santiago de Chile, Chile, on August 14, 2015. EPA
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, speaks at an Institute for National Security Studies forum in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 2, 2011. Reuters
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, speaks during a rally held upon his return from Cairo to the West Bank city of Jericho on January 25, 2011. Reuters
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat wave before Mitchell's meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on October 1, 2010. Reuters
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waves as she walks with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat upon her arrival for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on September 16, 2010. Reuters
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat wave before meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on December 6, 2007. Reuters
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waves as she stands next to Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, upon her arrival for a meeting with Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on October 17, 2007. Reuters
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat meet Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Hamas politburo deputy chief Moussa Abu Marzouk in Damascus on January 21, 2007. Reuters
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Vice Premier Shimon Peres attends a meeting with Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat in Tel Aviv on October 14, 2005. Reuters
Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron and Chief Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erekat listen as a journalist asks a question in Ramallah, Palestine on the last day of his two-day tour of the area on March 2, 2007. Reuters
US President Bill Clinton meets with Palestinian President Yassar Arafat and Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat during the third day of a Middle East summit at Camp David, July 14, 2000. Reuters
United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan walks with Palestinian Peace Negotiator Saeb Erekat on his way to meet with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah on June 22, 2000. Reuters
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, seated right, consults with Saeb Erekat, right, as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, seated left, sign a land-for-security agreement in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh as US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, background right, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, center background, and Jordan's King Abdullah II, left background, look on on September 5, 1999. AP Photo
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat comforts a Palestinian girl whose father is being held in an Israeli jail as she tells her story to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, US President Bill Clinton, and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on December 14, 1998. Reuters
US special envoy Dennis Ross looks on as Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, and Dan Shomron, the chief Israeli negotiator, initial the documents that bring to a conclusion the long-delayed and overdue Israeli troop redeployment in the West Bank city of Hebron, early January 15, 1997. Reuters
But that placed Erekat in a leadership that many Palestinians blame for failures to protect their rights or achieve peace.
That leadership was also accused of being nepotistic, corrupt and ageing.
After his early clashes with Mr Abbas, Erekat helped the Palestinian president to rule for more than a decade without elections, and monopolised the voice of the cause.
While he was a knowledgeable and passionate champion of the Palestinian cause, he ultimately became part of an elite presiding over the Palestinian malaise, and passed without seeing the national rights he had given so much of his life trying to obtain.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700. The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers. The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood. Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues. Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69') Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
