Head of Palestinian mission in Mexico Nadya R. H. Rasheed (L) presents her credentials to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on March 19, 2025.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has officially received the credentials of Palestinian Ambassador Nadya R. H. Rasheed at the National Palace in Mexico City.
Both of them posed for a photo that was posted to the Palestinian embassy's account on X, with a message of gratitude by Rasheed who praised Mexico’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.
“What an honor and a privilege to meet a leader who embodies the true essence of humanity - championing human rights for all, regardless of religion or heritage, as the world should strive to do,” she wrote.
As Mexico’s first Jewish and female president, Sheinbaum has called for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
Last October, she condemned "the aggression being experienced by the Palestinian people".
Her receipt of the Palestinian credentials coincides with Israel’s renewed onslaught in Gaza, which has resulted in the massacre of at least 700 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, in the past few days.
Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador officially recognized the state of Palestine in June 2023, elevating the Palestinian mission in Mexico from a special delegation to full embassy status.
This followed years of limited diplomatic relations, where Mexico refrained from formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Diplomatic relations between Mexico and Palestine date back to 1975, when then-President Luis Echeverría Álvarez met with Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in Egypt.
Later in 1995, Mexico elevated the status of the Palestinian representation to a Special Delegation.
In 2013, for the first time, a Palestinian representative formally presented credentials to the Mexican government.
In May 2024, Mexico submitted a declaration of intervention under Article 63 of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) statute, seeking to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel.
Other Latin American countries, including Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela, have also voiced support for the case, though they have not yet filed formal requests to join.
Mexico has also supported the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), recognizing its essential role in providing humanitarian aid to nearly six million Palestinian refugees in West Asia.
