Leila Shahid, a pioneering Palestinian diplomat who helped to shape her leadership’s engagement with Europe during critical decades of Middle East diplomacy, has died in France at the age of 76.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid tribute to Ms Shahid as a “model of diplomacy committed to the values of freedom, justice and peace”, the official Wafa news agency reported, adding that she “remained faithful to her people’s message until her final days".
Born in Beirut in 1949 to a family originally from Jerusalem, Ms Shahid became the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organisation abroad.
She worked in Palestinian refugee camps and pursued academic studies in France, earning a doctorate in anthropology in Paris. In 1976, she was elected head of the Palestinian student union in France.
Ms Shahid later returned to Beirut during the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, an event that would define much of her life’s work.
Her diplomatic career began in Ireland, and she later served as the PLO’s representative to the Netherlands, helping to expand the organisation’s political presence in Europe.
From 1993 to 2005, she was the Palestinian envoy to France, at a time of intense international diplomacy over the Palestine-Israel conflict after the Oslo peace accords.
She was later the Palestinian representative to the EU until 2014, where she was a prominent advocate for Palestinian statehood and dialogue with European governments.
Ms Shahid was also among the earliest Palestinian officials to build contacts with Israelis who supported peace efforts, reflecting her long-standing emphasis on diplomacy and negotiation.
“Palestine has lost a seasoned and steadfast voice – one who carried her people’s cause with grace, conviction,and unwavering dedication,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian representative in Britain, said in a social media post.
Majed Bamya, the deputy Palestinian UN envoy, also paid tribute to Ms Shahid, describing her as “a voice for justice, freedom and peace”.
“I had the honour of serving alongside her, of learning alongside her, of witnessing her magnanimity and compassion, and seeing how she embodies the aspirations and suffering of her people,” Mr Bamya said.
