Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Palestinian National Authority H E Varsen Aghabekian Shahin speaking during a special session at Mediterranean Dialogues 2025 in Naples, Italy.
Naples, Italy: During a special session held on the 3rd day of the 11th edition of the Mediterranean Dialogues 2025, H E Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Palestinian National Authority, urged the international community to sustain the Gaza ceasefire and support large-scale reconstruction efforts.
“There is some sort of relief because the war has stopped,” Shahin said. “We hope the ceasefire is sustained. We now need to focus on rebuilding Gaza given the monumental destruction and trauma endured by our people.”
The special session was co-chaired by Merissa Khurma, Founder and CEO of AMENA Strategies and member of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, and Paolo Magri, President of the Advisory Board at ISPI. The minister revealed that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has already developed a comprehensive relief and reconstruction plan, endorsed by the Arab and Islamic world and recognised internationally as the only viable framework currently in place.
The plan, estimated to cost $6-7bn, will be presented at a donor conference in Cairo within the next few weeks. “Our programmes, teams, and projects are ready,” she said, stressing that implementation depends on a lasting ceasefire and stable security conditions on the ground.
Shahin noted that the Palestinian Authority currently has no direct relations with the United States, but expressed hope for renewed engagement. “We aim to act as a responsible state, deserving of equal treatment,” she stated. “If the US wants to remain a key player in the region, it must engage directly with the Palestinian government to lay out a peace plan that addresses the entirety of the occupation.”
Responding to questions about governance, Shahin emphasised that reform is a Palestinian initiative, not merely a foreign demand.
She pointed to ongoing reforms in education—modernising the curriculum to better represent Palestinian history—and in social welfare, where the system of payments to families of martyrs has been restructured into a needs-based welfare programme open to international auditing. “We have done our homework,” she said. “Now reform must also take place on the Israeli side.”
Turning to the West Bank, the minister condemned escalating settler violence and settlement expansion, particularly the proposed E1 project, which she warned would divide the territory and deepen occupation.
“Peace efforts must view the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem as one occupied territory,” she said, calling for stronger international responsibility to curb violations and ensure accountability.
The Minister highlighted the strong support from Arab nations, particularly Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, crediting their unified stance against any attempts to displace Palestinians. “The Arab world remains the backbone of Palestinian resilience,” she affirmed.
While acknowledging Europe’s continued humanitarian assistance, Shahin urged European governments to move beyond aid and adopt political measures to advance Palestinian statehood and sovereignty.
She called on European countries that endorsed the New York Declaration to implement its 42 outlined measures—ranging from reinforcing international law and security frameworks to ending trade with Israeli settlements in occupied territories.
“Israel must feel there is a price for continued occupation,” she asserted. “Without real consequences, there will be no deterrence.”
Concluding on a note of cautious optimism, H E Shahin appealed to younger generations to sustain faith in peace and justice. “We must build hope, because hope drives progress,” she said.
“We have already recognised Israel on 78 percent of historic Palestine; we now seek sovereignty over the remaining 22 percent. The region’s future depends on a two-state solution—nothing else.” She added that Palestinians deserve to live in equality, dignity, and security, “free from occupation and daily suffering, as all peoples under international law.”
