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First Woman Envoy for Palestine Dies in France: Family
Leïla Shahid was the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization abroad and served as ambassador to France and the EU for over two decades.
- On Wednesday, Leila Shahid, former Palestinian diplomat, died at age 76, her family told L'Orient-Le Jour, saying she died at her home in the south of France.
- Shahid broke ground as the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization abroad, beginning in Ireland in 1989, and held early postings in the Netherlands and Denmark.
- For more than a decade Shahid represented Palestine in France, then served as general delegate to the European Union in Brussels, covering Belgium and Luxembourg.
- Majed Bamya called Shahid `a voice for justice, freedom and peace` and recalled her influence on diplomats, saying she convinced him to join the diplomatic corps.
- She told France24 last year `we are witnessing a genocide in Gaza` and stressed `We have been occupied since 1967`.
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The 76-year-old's sister confirmed her death, while her body was found on Wednesday in Lussan, Gard. This former representative of Palestine to France and the European Union had been seriously ill for several years, according to "Le Monde". - Leïla Shahid, former representative of Palestine in France, died (International).
Leïla Shahid, a great defender of Palestine, former ambassador to France and the European Union, died on 18 February 2026 in her residence in Lecques, in the south of France.
·Paris, France
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources33
Leaning Left7Leaning Right7Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution39% Center
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources are Center
39% Center
L 31%
C 39%
R 30%
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