[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator of the Palestinian Authority and Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is reported to be in critical condition due to COVID-19.
According to AFP and other foreign media on the 19th (local time), Secretary-General Erekat was urgently transferred from his home to an Israeli hospital in Jerusalem the previous day and is receiving treatment for complications from COVID-19. He is reported to be in critical condition. He was infected with COVID-19 on the 8th and has been classified as a severe patient, currently receiving intensive care.
Sixty-five-year-old Secretary-General Erekat has a history of lung transplant surgery and is being treated in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital due to respiratory illness caused by COVID-19, the PLO stated. The Hadassah Hospital said about Erekat’s condition, "After a quiet night, his condition worsened and he is currently classified as critical. He is relying on a ventilator under anesthesia." He is in a medically induced coma due to medication and is currently being treated for a bacterial infection.
Secretary-General Erekat is known as the chief negotiator for Palestine and has been a key figure in Palestinian politics for decades. He is known for dealing with foreign envoys and international media. He has continuously advocated for the "two-state solution," which envisions Palestine as an independent state separate from Israel as a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority reports that the cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the West Bank area of the Jordan River stands at 42,490, with a total of 381 deaths.
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