Saeb Erekat
The articulate, tireless face of Palestinian diplomacy for decades, navigating the fraught path of peace negotiations with Israel.
1955–2020 (age 65)·Palestinian politician and diplomat·Birthday: April 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Saeb Erekat dedicated his life to the Palestinian national cause, becoming its most recognizable English-language voice on the world stage. A political scientist by training, he was a central figure in the Oslo Accords of the 1990s and served for years as the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator. With his sharp suits, fluent English, and command of soundbite politics, he argued passionately for a two-state solution in countless media appearances and negotiating rooms, even as the prospects for peace dimmed. Appointed Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, he remained a steadfast advocate until his death, a symbol of both the Palestinian pursuit of statehood and the immense personal toll of a conflict with no easy resolution.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Saeb was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Saeb Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Saeb's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2020Died at 65
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Served as the Palestinian Authority's Chief Negotiator in peace talks with Israel for most of the period from 1995 until his death.
- Appointed Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee in 2015.
- Was a key advisor to Yasser Arafat and a central participant in the Oslo Accords negotiations.
- Earned a PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford and was a professor of political science.
Did You Know?
He was a columnist for the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds for many years.
Erekat underwent a successful lung transplant in the United States in 2017.
He was born in Abu Dis, in the Jerusalem Governorate of the West Bank.
He frequently appeared as a commentator on international news networks like CNN and the BBC.
“We are not asking for the moon. We are asking to be free.”
