Walid Muaqqat

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Walid Muaqqat
Muaqqat in 2011
2nd Ambassador of Palestine to Peru
Assumed office
April 23, 2015
PresidentMahmoud Abbas
Preceded byWalid Abdel Rahim
1st Ambassador of Palestine to Argentina
In office
August 2009 – March 5, 2015
Preceded byHimself (as PNA representative)
Succeeded byHusni Abdel Wahed
Ambassador of Palestine to Nicaragua
In office
January 4, 2006 – July 29, 2009
Preceded byGeorge Salameh[1]
Succeeded byMohamed Saadat[2]
Chief Ambassador of the Special Mission of Palestine in Peru
In office
May 25, 2001 – December 31, 2005
Preceded byHimself (as Chief Ambassador of the PLO Special Delegation)
Succeeded byWalid Abdel Rahim
Personal details
Born1953 (1953)
Jerusalem
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyPLO
SpouseMaha Al Sharif[3][4]
Children4[3][4]
Alma materAin Shams University
OccupationDiplomat, politician
AwardsSee relevant section

Walid Ibrahim Muaqqat (Arabic: وليد إبراهيم المؤقت; born 1953) is a Palestinian politician and diplomat, currently serving as the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Peru since 2015.[5] He previously represented his country in Argentina, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador and Uruguay, either on behalf of the State of Palestine, the Palestinian National Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).[3]

Early life[edit]

Muaqqat was born in Jerusalem during the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank and completed his secondary education in Jericho. He graduated from the Ain Shams University Faculty of Law in Cairo, Egypt.[3] Muaqqat is a member of the PLO since his youth.[6]

Diplomatic career[edit]

In 1979 he served as Second Secretary in the PLO Office in Peru. In 1985 he was appointed First Secretary in the PLO Mission in Bolivia. In 1987 he served as Counselor at the Palestinian Embassy in Nicaragua. The following year he assumed the position of Deputy Representative in the PLO Representation in Peru. On May 14, 1998 he was appointed as Chief Ambassador of the PLO Special Delegation in Peru. That same year he signed the Agreement establishing diplomatic relations between Palestine and Ecuador, being appointed concurrent Ambassador based in Lima.[3]

On May 25, 2001, he began his activities as Chief Ambassador of the Special Mission of Palestine in Peru until December 31, 2005. On January 4, 2006, he was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Nicaragua until July 29, 2009, when he was appointed representative of the Palestine mission to Argentina in August of the same year.[3][6] At the same time, he was also appointed concurrent Palestinian Ambassador to Uruguay.[7][8]

At the time of beginning his activities as ambassador in Argentina, Muaqqat stated that the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, had endorsed "the occupation of the Malvinas [Falkland] Islands, when he compared the Israeli occupation in Palestine with that of the English in Argentina."[6]

On December 6, 2010, the Argentine government officially recognised the "free and independent" State of Palestine, with Muaqqat becoming the first Palestinian ambassador of in Buenos Aires.[9] During his tenure as ambassador, a Free Trade Agreement was also signed between Mercosur and Palestine.[10] Inter-city cooperation agreements were also carried out between Argentine cities and Palestinian cities, and a Permanent Committee of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was created.[4]

During the 2014 Gaza War, Muaqqat declared that Israeli actions were a "genocide" against the Palestinian people.[11]

In mid-February 2015, he left the Palestinian embassy in Buenos Aires, being replaced by Husni Abdel Wahed. Muaqqat was fired on February 15 of that year by the Syrian Lebanese Club of the Argentine capital.[4]

In April 2015, he was again appointed ambassador of the State of Palestine in Lima, Peru, and was officially accredited on April 23 of that year.[5][12]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Muaqqat denounced the Israeli treatment of Palestinians, describing the Palestinian situation as one of "living under Apartheid."[13] He also brought to attention the case of a woman from Chimbote trapped with her Palestinian husband and three children in the Gaza strip.[14][15]

Awards[edit]

In 2004, he received recognition and a medal for the Best Personalities from the College of Journalists of Peru, an ISESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognition for his collaborative work in Lima and the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medal awarded by the "Sembrando Valores" civil society of Peru.[3] On November 29, 2005, he received the Order of "Merit in the Diplomatic Service of Peru Jose Gregorio Paz Soldan" in the degree of Grand Cross.[16]

On July 8, 2009, he received the Medal of the Order of Merit of the José de Marcoleta Diplomatic Service in the degree of Grand Cross from the government of Nicaragua.[17] On July 15, he was recognised by the Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Managua "for his collaboration with the professional training of diplomacy and political science students."[3]

In October 2014, he visited the Argentine city of Paraná in the province of Entre Ríos, where he was named an "illustrious guest" by the local municipality.[18]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Argentina awarded him the Order of the Liberator San Martín in the degree of Grand Cross.[4]

Personal life[edit]

Muaqqat is married to Maha Al Sharif and has four children.[3][4]

In 2022, Muaqqat became involved in an incident with local law enforcement after reportedly parking in a handicapped parking area in an avenue in Lima, later apologising through an official communiqué.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A Palestinian Diplomat's Death Muddles Mideast Ties in C. America". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2005-11-14.
  2. ^ "Embajador de Palestina presenta Copias de Estilo". El Heraldo. 2014-04-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Qué es la Misión Diplomática de Palestina en la Argentina – Embajador Sr. Walid Muaqqat". Misión de Palestina en la República Argentina.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Despedida al embajador Walid Muaqqat". Diario Sirio Libanés de Buenos Aires. 2015-02-16.
  5. ^ a b "Jefe del Estado recibe credenciales de embajadores de Palestina y Federación Rusa". Andina. 2015-04-23.
  6. ^ a b c "El embajador palestino en Argentina confirma el nuevo Estado "unilateral"". Palestina Libre. 2009-08-26.
  7. ^ "Entrevista al Sr. Embajador de Palestina concurrente en Uruguay Walid Muaqqat". Mate Amargo. 2014-07-25.
  8. ^ "Walid Muaqqat – Embajador de Palestina en Uruguay y Argentina". Mixcloud. Telesur.
  9. ^ "El embajador palestino en la Argentina: "Hoy es un día de alegría". Clarín. 2010-12-06.
  10. ^ "El Mercosur firmó con la Autoridad Palestina un Tratado de Libre Comercio". Aurora Israel Digital. 2016-01-17.
  11. ^ "Walid Muaqqat: "Esto no es una guerra, es un genocidio"". LRA Radio Nacional. 2014-07-26.
  12. ^ Lista del Cuerpo Diplomático, Organismos Internacionales y Cuerpo Consular (PDF) (in Spanish). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2015. p. 14.
  13. ^ "Embajador de Palestina en Perú exige a la comunidad internacional el cumplimiento de los derechos del pueblo palestino". Canal N. 2023-10-10.
  14. ^ "Padre clama ayuda a embajador de Palestina para rescatar a su hija peruana de zona de guerra". Latina Noticias. 2023-10-18.
  15. ^ Giner Vásquez, Renzo (2023-10-28). "Todo lo que sabemos sobre las tres familias peruanas atrapadas en Gaza por la guerra". El Comercio.
  16. ^ "Condecorados: Orden al Mérico del Servicio Diplomático del Perú José Gregorio Paz Soldán" (PDF). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
  17. ^ "Condecoran a embajador palestino en Nicaragua tras concluir su misión". Palestina Libre. 2009-07-22.
  18. ^ "La intendenta Blanca Osuna recibió al Embajador de Palestina en Argentina". Municipalidad de Paraná. 2014-10-22. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05.
  19. ^ "Embajador de Palestina estuvo involucrado en incidente con serenos por estacionar su auto en zona rígida". La República. 2022-01-23.
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