| Revision as of 16:17, 4 December 2007 view sourceEleland (talk | contribs)8,909 editsm →Controversies← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:19, 4 December 2007 view source Eleland (talk | contribs)8,909 editsm →ControversiesNext edit → | ||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
| Erekat has appeared prominently on Western television stations as a representative for Palestinians, including during ] in March-April 2002. He came under criticism after announcing very high estimates of Palestinian deaths which were subsequently lowered.<ref></ref> Israeli representatives also initially over-estimated the numbers killed. <ref> by IDF Capt. Jacob Dallal (res), former Deputy Director of the International Press Office of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. Mirrored with permission by Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Committee website.</ref> | Erekat has appeared prominently on Western television stations as a representative for Palestinians, including during ] in March-April 2002. He came under criticism after announcing very high estimates of Palestinian deaths which were subsequently lowered.<ref></ref> Israeli representatives also initially over-estimated the numbers killed. <ref> by IDF Capt. Jacob Dallal (res), former Deputy Director of the International Press Office of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. Mirrored with permission by Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Committee website.</ref> | ||
| In November 2007, Erekat stated that the Palestinian Authority would "not agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state,"<ref name="Sham"></ref> and that "it is not acceptable for a country to link its national character to a specific religion."<ref></ref> He was responding to statements made by ], in regards to the ] question, that "We won't hold negotiations on our existence as a Jewish state."<ref></ref> Erekat came under harsh criticism from pro-Israeli sectors for his statements. |
In November 2007, Erekat stated that the Palestinian Authority would "not agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state,"<ref name="Sham"></ref> and that "it is not acceptable for a country to link its national character to a specific religion."<ref></ref> He was responding to statements made by ], in regards to the ] question, that "We won't hold negotiations on our existence as a Jewish state."<ref></ref> Erekat came under harsh criticism from pro-Israeli sectors for his statements. An unsigned Jerusalem Post editorial charged that "There is no way for Israelis to understand the refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state other than as a rejection of the two-state solution and the embrace of the 'strategy of stages,' whereby a Palestinian state is not an end of claims against Israel, but a down-payment toward Israel's destruction."<ref name="Sham"/> Erekat later clarified that "the majority of Israelis are Jews. And when we recognized Israel, we recognized the composition of the state," and questioned whether Israel wanted to "poke us in the eye" over the issue. Israel's vice-premier re-iterated that the underlying concern was Palestinian recognition that the ] for their refugees would mean their return exclusively to the ] alongside Israel.<ref></ref> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 16:19, 4 December 2007
Saeb Erakat (Sa'ib Muhammad Salih 'Urayqat. Template:Lang-ar, born 1955 in Jerusalem) is the chief of the PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee. He negotiated the Oslo Accords with Israel and remained chief negotiator from 1995 until May 2003, when he resigned in protest from the Palestinian government. He quickly reconciled with his party and was reappointed to the post in September 2003. Saeb Erekat is currently part of the Israel-Fatah negotiations team working to establish a Palestinian state.
Personal life
Saeb Erekat was born on April 28 1955 in Jerusalem. He is married with twin daughters and two sons. Erekat received a BA and MA in International Relations at San Francisco State University, and he received a doctorate in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford in England. He returned to lecture in Political Science at the An-Najah National University in the West Bank town of Nablus, and also served for 12 years on the editorial board of Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds. Erekat is the author of eight books and numerous research papers on foreign policy, oil and conflict resolution. He also served as secretary general of the Arab Studies Society.
Chief Negotiator
Erekat has participated in numerous peace negotiations with Israel. He was deputy head of the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the 1992-1993 follow-up talks in Washington. In 1995, he served as Chief Negotiator for the Palestinians during the Oslo period, including the Camp David meetings in 2000 and the negotiations at Taba in 2001. He also acted as Yasser Arafat's interpreter from English. When Mahmoud Abbas was nominated to serve as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Legislative Council in early 2003, Erekat was slated to be Minister of Negotiations in the new cabinet, but he soon resigned after he was excluded from a delegation to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. This was interpreted as part of an internal Palestinian power struggle between Abbas and Arafat. Erekat was later reappointed to his post and participated in the 2007 Annapolis Conference, where he took over from Ahmed Qureia during an impasse and helped hammer out a joint declaration.
Controversies
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Erekat has appeared prominently on Western television stations as a representative for Palestinians, including during Operation Defensive Shield in March-April 2002. He came under criticism after announcing very high estimates of Palestinian deaths which were subsequently lowered. Israeli representatives also initially over-estimated the numbers killed.
In November 2007, Erekat stated that the Palestinian Authority would "not agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state," and that "it is not acceptable for a country to link its national character to a specific religion." He was responding to statements made by Ehud Olmert, in regards to the Palestinian refugee question, that "We won't hold negotiations on our existence as a Jewish state." Erekat came under harsh criticism from pro-Israeli sectors for his statements. An unsigned Jerusalem Post editorial charged that "There is no way for Israelis to understand the refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state other than as a rejection of the two-state solution and the embrace of the 'strategy of stages,' whereby a Palestinian state is not an end of claims against Israel, but a down-payment toward Israel's destruction." Erekat later clarified that "the majority of Israelis are Jews. And when we recognized Israel, we recognized the composition of the state," and questioned whether Israel wanted to "poke us in the eye" over the issue. Israel's vice-premier re-iterated that the underlying concern was Palestinian recognition that the right of return for their refugees would mean their return exclusively to the proposed Palestinian state alongside Israel.
See also
References
- Profile: Saeb Erakat BBC News, 4 September 2003
- Q & A with Saeb Erekat Jerusalem Post, 1 February 2005
- Ha'aretz: Annapolis joint statement was completed with just minutes to spare (28 Nov 2007)
- CNN Transcripts: Interview with Condoleezza Rice; Last Chance for Arafat?; How to Best Protect the Cockpit?
- TNR Online: Bad Information, the Lesson of Jenin by IDF Capt. Jacob Dallal (res), former Deputy Director of the International Press Office of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. Mirrored with permission by Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Committee website.
- ^ The recognition sham, Jerusalem Post
- Erekat holds firm on rejecting 'Jewish Israel', Jewish Telegraph Agency
- Defining a Nation, Forward
- Erekat: PA baffled over 'Jewish Israel', Jerusalem Post
External links
- Official biography
- Biography
- San Francisco State University magazine interview with Saeb Erekat
- UN Jenin reports
- JCPA Issue Brief
- CAMERA collection of accusations and quotes by palestinians regarding the Jenin raid
- EI: Media Distortions and the UN Report on Jenin