President Ramaphosa honours the legacy of Leila Shahid, a pioneering ambassador
Leila Shahid, the pioneering Lebanese-born Palestinian diplomat and activist, has died at the age of 76, prompting tributes from leaders across the world, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
She made history as Palestine’s first woman ambassador and represented the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and later the Palestinian Authority in Ireland, the Netherlands and France.
She passed away this week after decades at the forefront of her people’s diplomatic struggle.
Her death marks the end of a life defined by advocacy in the cause of Palestinian statehood.
Born in Beirut to a prominent Palestinian family displaced by the 1948 Nakba, she grew up in the shadow of exile.
She studied anthropology at the American University of Beirut and later in Paris, grounding her political activism in a deep academic commitment to cultural preservation.
“The passing of Leila Shahid is a moment of sadness that ripples from the ruins of a brutalised Palestine to places all over the world where we remain resolute in our solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle for freedom,” Ramaphosa said.
Throughout her diplomatic career, Shahid insisted that the Palestinian cause was not only about territory, but about identity, memory and dignity.
“She campaigned for the freedom of Palestine until the end of her extraordinary life, and 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.
“May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
As an anthropologist, she worked to preserve the cultural history of Palestinians, warning that displacement and occupation were not merely physical realities but assaults on heritage and collective memory.
“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,” said the president.
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