Top Palestinian official Erekat tests positive for coronavirus

Long-time chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, one of the most prominent Palestinian leaders on the world stage, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a statement said on Thursday.

A statement on Twitter from the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee said Erekat "has been infected with Covid-19."

The PLO "wishes him a speedy recovery," it added.

The 65-year-old has been a key figure in Palestinian politics for decades, often serving as a main interlocutor for foreign envoys and the international media.

He has consistently voiced support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Jerusalem-born Erekat serves as the PLO's secretary general and remains a stalwart presence in the inner circle of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He recently called on Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to resign over the organisation’s failure to condemn the UAE’s and Bahrain’s normalisation deals with Israel.

The occupied West Bank has recorded more than 39,500 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 335 deaths.

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