Two Kinds of Knives

Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, 62, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, which is characterized by the development of scars in lung tissue which makes it difficult for them to function properly. The disease manifests itself in shortness of breath, coughing and loss of the ability of the lungs to transfer oxygen to the body. He was diagnosed more than a year ago. So far, Erekat has been treated with drugs, but a few months ago, drugs stopped being effective and his condition worsened dramatically. Erekat began medical treatment in one of Israel's hospitals in the center of the country, but doctors made it clear to him that he had to undergo a lung transplant in order to survive. Since then, he has been on the waiting list for a lung transplant. Erekat's Israeli doctors are optimistic about his chances of recovery if he undergoes a transplant.