Tributes for 'courageous' late Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat

Jordan, the UAE and many Palestinians pay respects to senior PLO figure

International leaders paid tribute to veteran Palestinian politician Saeb Erekat after his death on Tuesday.

The former secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation was described as “courageous,” and a “giant” of the movement.

King Abdullah II of Jordan was one of the first to offer condolences in a phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash offered condolences to Erekat's family.

"May God have mercy on Dr Saeb, who represented his country and people with all sincerity and dedication," he tweeted. "Our condolences to the family of the deceased and to the Palestinian people."

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also paid his respects, saying he was saddened to hear of the news that a "champion of dialogue and Palestinian rights" had died.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said that although he differed from Erekat on how to achieve peace, he "never doubted for one moment his sincerity, his knowledge or his deep and abiding commitment to the Palestinian people and to peace".

"He dedicated his life to the cause of an independent sovereign state of Palestine and it is tragic that he never lived to see it come into being. But when it does, he will be remembered as one of its core architects," Mr Blair said.

A host of Mr Erekat’s peers marked his passing with statements.

Mr Abbas said Mr Erekat’s death was a “great loss for Palestine and our people, and we feel deeply saddened by his loss, especially in light of these difficult circumstances facing the Palestinian cause”.

Mr Abbas said flags will be flown at half mast for three days.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official who also tested positive for coronavirus last month, said Mr Erekat’s death marked “a significant transition in Palestinian history and reality”.

“Rest in peace and power my friend,” she wrote on Twitter.

Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta’al party and a member of the Israeli Knesset since 1999, described Mr Erekat as “a friend and courageous leader”.

Ayman Odeh, head of the Joint List in the Knesset, also paid his respects.

“Saeb will not get to see his people freed from the chains of occupation, but generations of Palestinians will remember him as one of the giants who dedicated his life for their independence,” he tweeted.

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Saeb Erekat gallery

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