Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat looks on during a news conference following his meeting with foreign diplomats, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jan. 30, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Mohamad Torokman.

JNS.org – Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat will be mentoring students at Harvard.

The Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs announced last week that Erekat will serve as one of four Fisher Family Fellows for the 2020-21 academic year.

The other fellows include Julie Bishop, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party; Federica Mogherini, former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, and security policy and vice president of the European Commission; and Peter Wittig, former Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States.

“We are proud to welcome these four respected global leaders to the Harvard Kennedy School for this academic year,” said faculty chair Nicholas Burns in a statement. “They will strengthen our capacity to learn the lessons of effective diplomacy and statecraft.”

In a 2014 interview with Al Jazeera, Erekat stated, “I will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.”

Jewish and pro-Israel groups, such as CAMERA on Campus, immediately countered the Harvard announcement.

“Perfect timing just as UAE/Israel make peace @Harvard imports key Palestinian diplomat who always blamed #Israel, as Oslo peace partner Arafat then Abu Mazen unleashed hate and terrorism,” tweeted the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Perfect timing just as UAE/Israel make peace @Harvard imports key Palestinian diplomat who always blamed #Israel, as Oslo peace partner Arafat then Abu Mazen unleashed hate and terrorism. https://t.co/YeFp8Zpgq0

— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) September 1, 2020