Foreign Minister Engages in Talks with Dutch Counterpart on Palestine’s Political and Humanitarian Issues

Ramallah: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, met today with her Dutch counterpart, David van Weel, in Ramallah, during which they discussed the latest political and humanitarian developments in Palestine. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Shahin expressed Palestine's appreciation for the Netherlands' position and humanitarian support, emphasizing that a two-state solution is the only framework capable of ensuring security and stability in the region. She urged the Netherlands to recognize the State of Palestine, noting that such recognition is a necessary political step to achieve a just and lasting peace. Shahin also highlighted the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, maintain the ceasefire, ensure children's return to schools, and resume health sector operations. She addressed conditions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, pointing out the Israeli occupation government's policie s that support colonist violence, withhold Palestinian clearance funds, approve new colonial settlement construction, and divide the West Bank with checkpoints and iron gates, all aimed at weakening the Palestinian Authority. She underscored the importance of supporting and empowering the Palestinian Authority to enable it to fully exercise its role in the Gaza Strip under unified Palestinian legitimacy. Shahin highlighted that the government continues to implement national reforms and that the New York Declaration should serve as a guiding framework for ending the occupation and realizing an independent Palestinian state. Van Weel reiterated his country's commitment to a two-state solution as the sole path to ensuring security and stability in the region and reaffirmed the Netherlands' support for the Palestinian Authority and its ongoing reform efforts. He also highlighted that his country will contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza and stressed the international community's moral responsibility toward the Palestinian people in the aftermath of the war.