Palestinian foreign minister calls on Canada to recognize State of Palestine
RAMALLAH, Palestine /ISTANBUL
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Aghabekian Shahin called Thursday for Canada to recognize the State of Palestine.
Shahin considered it “a practical step toward implementing the two-state solution and reflecting its commitment to international law, the principles of justice, and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
This came during her meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Graham Dattels, Canada’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Some 149 out of 193 United Nations member states recognize the State of Palestine.
Norway, Ireland and Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine in May last year.
Prior to this announcement, eight European Union member states recognized Palestine: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus and Sweden.
During the meeting, the Palestinian minister addressed “the catastrophic situation in Gaza, which is subjected to a war of extermination and displacement.”
She called for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and the necessity for our international partners to show solidarity to urgently put an end to this disaster.”
Shahin also warned against the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, describing it as a “deadly trap for those seeking humanitarian aid.”
She emphasized the importance of supporting UN mechanisms to deliver humanitarian aid without restrictions.
Since May 27, Israel, without UN supervision, began implementing a plan to distribute aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by the US and Israel.
The plan has become a trap for hungry Palestinians as Israeli soldiers, according to media reports, have been ordered to fire on crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid under the pretext of dispersing them.
Shahin stressed the necessity of “taking concrete measures to stop the assaults by the occupation and settlers in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and imposing deterrent sanctions on Israel in accordance with international law.”
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, at least 994 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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