Leila Shahid, the first female Palestinian diplomat, dies aged 76

Tributes have poured in for Leila Shahid, the first female Palestinian diplomat, who has died at the age of 76. 

Shahid’s family told Le Monde newspaper that she died in her home in Lecques, in southern France, on Wednesday. 

“A tremendous loss for Palestine, and for the world that believes in justice,” said Hala Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian ambassador in France. “Peace to her soul.”

Shahid was born in Beirut in 1949, where her parents – originally from Akka and Jerusalem – had been exiled during the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel in 1948.

She studied at the American University of Beirut, where she met Yasser Arafat, the former Palestinian leader. 

She worked in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, before becoming the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) internationally. 

Her diplomatic career started as representative to Ireland in 1989, and representative to the Netherlands and Denmark in the early 1990s. 

It was in that decade that she returned to Palestine for the first time, when the Palestinian Authority, led by her close friend Arafat, was established in Ramallah. 

She was at Arafat’s side in 2004 in the last days of his life.

Shahid was Palestinian ambassador to France from 1994 until 2005, and thereafter became the envoy to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.

She retired in 2015, and divided her time between Beirut and Lecques. 

Shahid was one of the most important Palestinian voices in the French-speaking world, regularly making broadcast media appearances.

In an interview with France24 in September, she praised France’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state. 

“It’s very important, it’s not only symbolic,” she said. “We are reminding the world that it’s self-determination, and we don’t know any other form for self-determination except a state.”

Palestine ‘personified’

Majed Bamya, deputy Palestinian envoy at the UN, described her as “Palestine personified in the Francophone world”. 

“Everyone knows Leila Shahid. Twenty years ago, by her side, I would see passersby stopping her for an autograph or a photo,” he said.

“I had the honour of serving at her side, of learning at her side, of being close to her greatness of soul and heart, and of seeing how she carried within her the aspirations and sufferings of her people.”

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, described her as “one of the most inspiring diplomats Palestine has ever known”.

“Palestine has lost a seasoned and steadfast voice – one who carried her people’s cause with grace, conviction, and unwavering dedication,” he said.

“We will honour her legacy by walking in her footsteps, pressing forward on the long march toward freedom and justice.”

Bidding Leila Shahid farewell is heartbreaking. Her passing has deprived Palestine, her family & friends, of an exceptional human being whose vitality, dedication, & undaunted spirit left an impact on the global diplomatic & political arena. Since our days at AUB, I have… https://t.co/kFSyoGvH5K

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) February 18, 2026

Hanan Ashrawi, a former member of the PLO executive committee, said she had maintained a “special friendship” with Shahid since they studied together in Beirut. 

“Her passing has deprived Palestine, her family & friends, of an exceptional human being whose vitality, dedication, & undaunted spirit left an impact on the global diplomatic & political arena,” Ashrawi wrote in a post on X. “Rest in peace, power, & love dear Leila.”

Meanwhile, Rima Hassan, the French-Palestinian lawmaker in the European parliament, recounted how she received a call from Shahid shortly after her election. 

“She spoke to me the way a mother speaks to her daughter, she congratulated me, assured me of her support, and asked me never to give up,” Hassan said.

“She spoke of a generational renewal in Palestine as well as in the diaspora, of which she was proud.”

The veteran diplomat was also mourned by Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa. 

“Leila Shahid leaves us while the State of Israel perpetuates the excessive violence and disregard of international law that Leila witnessed, fought against and brought to the attention of the international community during her decades of activism,” he said. 

“Her passing is a moment for appreciating the full extent of her leadership and ensuring that her vision of a free Palestine is realised in our lifetime.”

Shahid was married to Moroccan writer Mohamed Berrada and had no children.