Leila Shahid, the Palestinian diplomat who served as the first woman ambassador for her nation, died Feb. 18, 2026. She was 76. Shahid held high-level posts across Europe, representing the Palestine Liberation Organization and later the Palestinian Authority during decades of negotiations.
Her diplomatic career began to rise in the late 1980s when she became the PLO representative to Ireland in 1989. She moved to the Netherlands in 1990 before taking a high-profile assignment in France in 1993. Before these official appointments, she traveled to Beirut in September 1982 alongside French writer Jean Genet, arriving during the Sabra and Shatila massacre.
During the final days of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004, Shahid served as his official spokeswoman while he received medical treatment in Paris. She appeared in international media to provide updates on his health and represent Palestinian interests to the European Union. Her work focused on building political ties and public awareness of Palestinian goals within European capitals.
Shahid concluded her official diplomatic service after a decade-long tenure as the General Delegate of Palestine to the European Union, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This final assignment followed a twelve-year period as the representative to France. Her retirement in 2015 marked the end of a 26-year career representing Palestinian interests in European capitals.