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Surrounded by family and fellow Palestinian leaders and friends, Dr. Saeb Erekat was laid to rest in the cemetery of his town Jericho in the West Bank on Wednesday. The ceremony was heldduring the Asr time, the afternoon prayer, and the sound of the Muezzin was heard over the gravesite. Hundreds gathered along the road to the cemetery to bid him a last farewell. Earlier Wednesday, in a military ceremony, Erekats coffin was brought to the Mukataa, the presidential quarters in Ramallah. President Mahmud Abbas and other senior officials watched as two soldiers laid a wreath over the coffin, draped with the Palestinian flag and a black-and-white Keffiyeh -- a traditional Palestinian checkered scarf that has become a national symbol and was worn by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. EREKAT, LONGTIME SPOKESMAN FOR THE PALESTINIANS, DIES AT 65Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning in Palestinian Authority-ruled areas of the West Bank. He called Erekat a "great fighter who had a great role in raising the banner of Palestine high and defending the rights of our people. . . in all international forums. "Erekat passed away Tuesday in a Jerusalem hospital after he was admitted in critical condition three weeks ago with COVID-19. According to Hadassah hospital during his hospitalization, he received intensive treatments that included a heart-lung machine (ECMO) and drug treatments provided by Hadassahs top specialists. He died, according to the statement, due to multiple organ failure. EX-ISRAELI UN AMBASSADOR DANON ON WHAT A BIDEN PRESIDENCY MEANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACEErekat, a tenacious negotiator, wasa prominent voice and figure in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations throughout the years. He took part in every meeting between the negotiators of both sides, since the Madrid conference in 1991 and onward. He was among the main authors of the Oslo accords, the first agreement between the Israeli and the Palestinians,

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