Leila Shahid, a Palestinian diplomat and the first woman ambassador of Palestine, died on February 18, 2026.
Born in Beirut in 1949, she represented the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ireland in 1989 and in the Netherlands in 1990. She later served the Palestinian Authority in France, taking office in Paris in 1993.
From 2006 to 2014, she was the General Delegate of Palestine in the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Leila Shahid (Arabic: ليلى شهيد; 13 July 1949 – 18 February 2026) was a Palestinian diplomat. She was the first woman ambassador of Palestine, serving the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Ireland in 1989 and the Netherlands in 1990, then serving the Palestinian Authority (PA) in France where she had taken office in Paris in 1993. From 2006 to 2014, she was the General Delegate of Palestine in the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.