Leila Shahid, First Female Palestinian Ambassador, Dies in France at 76
Leila Shahid, the groundbreaking first female Palestinian diplomat who occupied significant diplomatic positions across Europe during some of the most turbulent periods of the Middle East conflict, has died in France at the age of 76.
Palestinian President Pays Tribute
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas commemorated Shahid as an "exemplar of diplomacy dedicated to the principles of freedom, justice, and peace". According to the official WAFA news agency, Abbas stated that "she remained loyal to her people's cause until her last moments".
Early Life and Background
Shahid was born in Beirut in 1949, just one year following the war that accompanied Israel's establishment, during which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced from their homes. Her parents originated from Jerusalem and what is currently northern Israel.
Academic and Early Activism
After engaging in work within Palestinian refugee camps, Shahid relocated to Paris during the 1970s to undertake doctoral studies in anthropology. In 1976, she was elected as the head of the Palestinian student union in France. She returned to Beirut during the tragic Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, when Israeli-supported Lebanese Christian militiamen slaughtered hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including men, women, and children, within two refugee camps.
Diplomatic Career and Milestones
The Palestine Liberation Organization appointed her to Ireland in 1989, marking her historic appointment as the first female Palestinian ambassador. She was subsequently posted to the Netherlands the following year.
From 1993 until 2005, Shahid served as the Palestinian envoy to France. Her tenure overlapped with the peak of the peace process and the eruption of the second Palestinian uprising, known as the intifada, in 2000. She was present with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during his final days before his death in a French military hospital in 2004.
Later Roles and Contributions
Between 2006 and 2014, she acted as the Palestinian envoy to the European Union, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Additionally, Shahid was the long-term director of "The Review of Palestinian Studies", a French-language periodical focused on the history of the conflict.
