Leïla Shahid, former general delegate of Palestine in France and to the European Union, died on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at the age of 76.
First modification: 02/18/2026 - 20:00 Last modification: 02/18/2026 - 20:00
His face had become a symbol of the Palestinian cause, like that of Yasser Arafat. Leïla Shahid, former general delegate of Palestine in France, died on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at the age of 76, her sister Zeina announced to AFP, confirming information published by the newspaper Le Monde.
Sick for many months, she lived in the south of France.
"Yes, he died today," said his sister, without specifying the circumstances of his death.
His body was found on Wednesday at his home in the village of La Lèque, in the municipality of Lussan, in the Gard department, a source close to the investigation informed AFP.
According to the first indications, it would be a suicide, this source added, specifying that an investigation had been opened to "determine the causes of death", as is usual in similar circumstances.
Born in Beirut in 1949, Leïla Shahid came from two large Palestinian families historically committed to the national movement: the al-Husseini and the al-Alami. Great-niece of the mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, her family included numerous prominent figures of Palestinian nationalism, including Yasser Arafat, her cousin.
"A great loss for Palestine"
Leïla Shahid was the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) abroad, the political leadership led for a long time by Yasser Arafat.
From 1989 to 1993, he was the PLO representative in Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 1994, she became Palestine's general delegate to France. Yasser Arafat was then president of the Palestinian Authority.
Between 2005 and 2015, she was Palestinian ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.
The current Palestinian ambassador to France, Hala Abou-Hassira, praised in X "an emblematic ambassador" and lamented "an immense loss for Palestine and for the world that believes in justice."
"She will continue to be that strong and dignified voice of Palestine in France, a tireless activist for peace," Karim Amellal, former interministerial delegate for the Mediterranean between 2020 and 2025, wrote in
Leïla Shahid attended high school in Lebanon and then graduated in Anthropology from the American University of Beirut. She was married to a Moroccan writer.
She was one of the first Palestinians to establish contacts with pro-peace Israelis.
Text adapted from the original article in French.
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