Palestinians ask: Who will fill Saeb’s shoes?
The question of who will take the helm of negotiations with Israel is particularly important with the election of Joe Biden and renewed prospects for talks.
The passing of senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Tuesday comes at a critical time, with the expected renewal of Palestinian-US talks that have been halted since December 2017 when US President Donald Trump decided to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
While Erekat held two important positions, the biggest loss for Palestinians will be the institutional memory that he had as the longtime chief negotiator. To his credit, he established the Negotiations Affairs Department, which could help fill the gap and update whoever replaces him.
