Afif Safieh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Afif Safieh
عفيف صافية |
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Afif Safieh presents his credentials to President Dmitry Medvedev in September 2008.
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| Head of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 1990–2005 |
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| Succeeded by | Manuel Hassassian |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 May 1950 East Jerusalem, Jordanian West Bank |
| Alma mater | Université catholique de Louvain Sciences Po |
Afif Safieh (born May 4, 1950) is a Palestinian diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. He has worked for Palestine in many important places around the world.
He served as a Palestinian representative in the Netherlands from 1987 to 1990. Later, he was the head of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2005. During some of this time, he also represented Palestine at the Holy See (Vatican City) from 1995 to 2005.
From 2005 to 2008, he led the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mission in Washington, D.C., USA. Most recently, he was the Palestinian ambassador to Russia. Mr. Safieh is known as an experienced diplomat because he has worked in major cities like London, Washington, and Moscow. Before these roles, he was a deputy director for the PLO at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Early Life and Education
Afif Safieh was born in Jerusalem in 1950. He comes from a Palestinian Roman Catholic family.
He went to college at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. After that, he studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris, France. While he was a student, he led the Belgian branch of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) from 1969 to 1971. He also led the French branch of GUPS from 1974 to 1975.
Diplomatic Career Highlights
In May 2008, Afif Safieh was chosen to be the Palestinian ambassador to Russia. He officially presented his papers to President Medvedev on September 18, 2008.
In March 2009, it was reported that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had removed him from this position. This happened because Mr. Safieh had given a speech at a protest.
In September 2014, Bethlehem University gave him an honorary degree. This special award is called a Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa.
He was elected as a member of the Revolutionary Council in 2009 and again in 2016. The Revolutionary Council is like the parliament for Fatah, a Palestinian political party. Since then, he has been the Deputy Commissioner for International Relations.
In 2018, Mr. Safieh gave a speech to Sinn Féin, a political party in Ireland, at their meeting called the Ardfheis.
Personal Life
Afif Safieh is married and has two daughters.
See Also
In Spanish: Afif Safieh para niños
- Palestinian Christians
