He had suffered serious health problems for several years Before contracting coronavirus.

He announced that he had contracted the virus last month and was being treated in hospital in Jerusalem.

Joining me now from Ramallah is Dr Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician on ah friend off cyber Erekat, thank you very much for joining us today as we take stock of this news side Barakat had, I think tweeted just a few weeks ago.

He'd obviously revealed that he had, uh this virus and he had tweeted that, God willing, you know, things were on the mend were the words that he used.

Things are under control.

But given his health conditions, clearly this was a very tough battle that he was fighting with the virus.

Yes, it's a big loss way.

Feel the loss his family, of course, before anybody else feels great loss and we as his friends and colleagues in struggle we all feel this big loss doctors.

I was a fighter for Palestinian rights.

He was well known and astonished diplomat on.

He ran lots off negotiations on behalf of Palestinians and he was the secretary general of the P L.

O.

So, of course, it's a big loss for everybody.

But I must say that he did not stop working even when he knew that he was risking his life, given the spread of the coronavirus.

And unfortunately this is hey is now on additional and another victim off this horrible virus.

Andi.

Let's hope that there will be a possibility of controlling this pandemic so that we would will not have more losses.

But Dr Required will be remembered for his struggle.

He has participated in Palestinian struggle since he was a student.

Andi, then for many years as a teacher in universities and also as a diplomat on Does an activist in the piano on way really feel a big thing?

This is a big loss.

Uh, that will be difficult toe replace, But our struggle has to continue on.

Our deep condolences are to his family, to his colleagues toe the whole all the Palestinian groups in the piano and specially toe his party.

Hey had sought for many years a two state solution hadn t and as recently as the summer, he was criticizing various countries for their decisions to formalize ties with Israel.

He criticized, for example, the U A for formalizing ties with Israel.

He said that this was a killer blow to his ambitions for this two state solution.

Um what, especially taking into account the issues that they have Bean with President Trump on bond, his approach to dealing with the Middle East.

Now we have a new president in America.

Do you think that Saleh Barakat would have thought that this held out the promise for for some movement?

Well, everybody thinks so, because I think the disappearance of President Trump is a big relief not only to the Palestinian people but the people of the whole world.

Because unfortunately, we have witnessed during his period very serious, reckless policies that has affected things from global environment, toe, World Health Organization, toe the rule of law and international law.

But most the biggest grave damage was made toe the Palestinian issue because he adopted completely Netanyahu's plan off the deal of the century, which is nothing but liquidating the Palestinian rights.

I hope that the new administration will follow a different path, but what we definitely want to see is a very serious pressure on Israel to immediately stop the process off building settlements because that would kill the possibility of two state solution.

What we would like to see also is a reversal off the admission of our acceptance off the annexation off Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which violates international law.

There is an opportunity here that that we hope that the new administration would use.

But the last thing we want is to go back toe an endless, useless negotiations that leads to nothing and that keep procrastinating the possibility for solutions.

We want a solution.

Not just we want peace, not just a peace process.

Dr.

Mustafa Barghouti.

Thank you very much for your thoughts today on the news that so Barakat has died on duh.

Let's speak now to Dr Hossam.

Some lot is the ambassador and head off the Palestinian mission to the U.

K.

Ambassador.

Thank you very much for your time as well.

Your thoughts today on the news that save Erekat has died on D how you would sum up his role in Middle East peace negotiations for several decades He was the architect off off the Middle East peace process and the hope for ending the conflict and realizing the dream off piece off two states off allying with international rules.

Today is really a sad day Saturday, of course, for his immediate family, the Small Family Sad Day for Palestine Saturday.

For all our international friends who have hoped for a successful peace agreement, it is indeed a big loss for us.

The Palestinians.

This is a leader who has spent his entire life literally his entire life, serving his nation, defending the rights of his people in every for, uh, one can imagine be it internally, Fatah.

The political party has lost one of its most popular leaders, be it at the level of the government and the representation.

The P L o, his secretary general off our umbrella organization that represents all Palestinians, the sole legitimate representation.

And indeed he's our negotiator, the stubborn negotiated that has his hands always reached to everybody.

But his heart eyes always a strong when it comes to the principles on toe the very legitimate rights off the Palestinian people.

So it's a it's a very, very sad lost at a very particular moment when in fact, we needed it the most.

He was he was a close friend of mine, and I feel personally a severe sense of loss.

Our Middle East correspondent a few minutes ago was saying that Mr Erekat was very much emblematic off a generation off leaders who had, ah, very strong ambitions for Palestinian statehood for a two state solution on obviously relations with Israel had bean at Well Ah, pretty big low, haven't they recently, Um, who takes up that mantle now from Saeb Erekat?

Do you think because presumably he is he is someone with his wealth of experience who will be very hard to replace?

Yes, I did.

Hey, will be very hard to replace.

Uh, this is not just about the position on the duties he used to carry.

It's about the person on the belief in him the commitment, the energy.

I mean, he had endless energy.

I was the ambassador to in Washington when he did the operation.

You know, the lung transplant I witnessed that moment I went with him toe the operation theater I saw in him that fighter he never gives up, and he will.

It will be really, truly, truly difficult to replace him.

But in the end, Palestine is a vivid living nation.

And we will have many generations who will take up that that flame and continue our march towards freedom and realized the dreams and the ambitions and the objectives and goals off.

Doctor Erika, the the many decades he have bought.

Really, uh, in that in that fight.

So there will be people who will carry on.

However, cyber Erica the person Cyber Cut the leader Cyber Erica the official side Bracha the Peacemaker Cyber Erica The Freedom fighter will be missed for many years to come.

Ambassador Thank you very much, Ambassador Hossam, Some lot head off the Palestinian mission to the u.

K.

Thank you for your time today.