Zuhdi Labib Terzi (née Zuhdi Labib Suleiman Tarazi 20 February 1924 – 1 March 2006) served as the first

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations;" however, bo ...

from 1974 to 1991.

Ambassador to the UN

Terzi was the first Ambassador, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations and served from 1974 to 1991. Terzi successfully fought attempts by the United States to close down the Mission, and following the 1988 Declaration of the Independence of the State of Palestine, Terzi changed the role of the Ambassador from representing the Palestinian Liberation Organization to representing the State of Palestine. In 1985, the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

refused Terzi the right to enter the United States for a debate with Harvard professor,

Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and former law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appoin ...

. Consequentially,

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

brought suit against the Secretary of State

George P. Shultz George Pratt Shultz (; December 13, 1920February 6, 2021) was an American economist, businessman, diplomat and statesman. He served in various positions under two different Republican presidents and is one of the only two persons to have held fou ...

to permit Terzi to enter the United States. Judge Skinner, of the

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was hel ...

, reversed the decision of the Secretary and permitted Terzi to enter the United States because denying Terzi entry into the United States suppressed political speech that is protected under the

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

Personal life and education

Tarazi, dubbed a

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, was born to

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

parents in Jerusalem during the British Mandate. He attended Terra Santa College, and graduated with a law degree in 1948.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terzi, Zuhdi Labib 1924 births 2006 deaths Palestinian diplomats Permanent Observers of Palestine to the United Nations People from Jerusalem Eastern Orthodox Christians from Palestine

Ambassador to the UN

Personal life and education

See also

References