Erekat related to terrorist whose family he condoled — sources

Palestinian sources tell The Times of Israel that a terrorist who carried out a shooting attack north of Jerusalem last week was a relative of chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Erekat came under fire from Israeli officials for paying a condolence visit to the family of Mazen Aribe over the weekend.

Aribe, a member of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, opened fire on an army position near the Hizme checkpoint north of Jerusalem Thursday, injuring two people.

The sources say the visit was done out of the respect for the family, and not ideological reasons, and did not signal any support for the attack.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting that Erekat, instead of condemning such attacks, praises the perpetrators, which “gives backing and encouragement to acts of terror.”

The visit was considered especially galling considering Erekat’s position as the head peace negotiator for Ramallah.

This week, representatives of the Mideast Quartet are slated to visit the region to meet with officials and talk about ways to calm Israeli-Palestinian violence.

— Avi Issacharoff