(1955-)
Palestinian political figure. Erekat, a member of the Palestinian party
Fatah, has been the chief Palestinian negotiator since 1995, aside from periods of resignation from the post. He was a delegate in the
Madrid Conference and played an instrumental role in negotiating the
Oslo Accords with
Israel. In 1996, he was elected to represent Jericho in the
Palestinian Legislative Council. Erekat, Faisal Husseini and
Yasser Arafat had appealed to
Ariel Sharon not to visit Haram al-Sharif in September 2000, an event that is credited with sparking the
Second Intifada. Erekat resigned in 2011 over the
Palestine Papers, which were leaked from his office, though he continued functioning as lead negotiator. See "
Erekat quits over Palestine Papers" Al Jazeera English, Feb 13, 2011.