Foreign
Prominent Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat’s health has deteriorated and he is in critical condition. The Israeli hospital where he is being treated for COVID-19-related complications said on Monday.
Erekat, 65, was on Sunday transferred from his West Bank hometown to Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital.
“Mr Erekat passed a quiet night, but this morning there has been a deterioration in his condition, which is now defined as critical.
“ And because of respiratory distress he is anaesthetised and on a respirator,’’ said a statement from the hospital.
The long-time chief Palestinian negotiator, who is secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.
Erekat, one of the most visible Palestinian officials on the world stage and a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, had a lung transplant in a U.S hospital in 2017.
“Following his contraction of COVID-19, and due to the chronic health problems he faces in the respiratory system, Erekat’s condition now requires medical attention in a hospital,’’ a PLO Negotiations Affairs Department statement said.
The statement initially said Erekat had been taken to hospital in Tel Aviv, but the department later clarified in a tweet that he had been admitted to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. (dpa/NAN)
– Oct. 19 2020 @ 10:45 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: Top Palestinian official Erekat’s condition deteriorates
