Today, Wednesday, an official funeral was held for Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat before his body was transferred to his final resting place in the city of Jericho, after his death from infection with the Coronavirus (Covid-19), in conjunction with the 16th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The funeral was held in the presence of senior Palestinian leaders in Ramallah this afternoon, as a guard of honor lined up during the arrival of Erekat's body to the presidential residence.
The national anthem was played, and then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas placed a wreath of flowers on the body of Erekat, before it began to be transported to his hometown in Jericho to perform prayers on him and bury him in the city cemetery.
Flags were at half-mast and three days of mourning was declared (Reuters)
Mourning and ceremony
Abbas had mourned the late Saeb Erekat, described the veteran negotiator as a "brother" and a "friend," and declared mourning and flags at half-mast for three days.
Erekat, 65, was the chief negotiator during the era of Arafat and then President Mahmoud Abbas.
As secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, he was a staunch advocate of the Palestinians' quest for statehood over the decades of conflict with Israel.
Erekat, who had been living for a long time in Jericho - the largest Palestinian city in the Jordan Valley - died on Tuesday after announcing on October 8 that he had contracted the Coronavirus.