Top Palestine official visits PH after 36 years

Palestine's top diplomat is currently in Manila for a six-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties with the Philippines.

Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, who will be in the country until November 21, is the highest official of the Palestinian Authority to visit the Philippines since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 36 years ago on September 4, 1989.

She will meet her Philippine counterpart, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, on Tuesday "to discuss regional and international issues, and practical ways and means to strengthen bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest," according to a Department of Foreign Affairs statement.

Shahin kicked off her visit with a lecture entitled, “The Palestinian Predicament: Latest Developments in Gaza and the West Bank," at the DFA's Foreign Service Institute on Monday.

The Philippines maintains its support for the “two-state solution” for Palestine and Israel, noting that it is "the only viable path towards a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region."

The armed conflict in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages.

Israel’s offensives in Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, including women and children, and has set off a starvation crisis.

On October 10, the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect, with Israel releasing more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons and the Hamas, in return, agreeing to free the 20 remaining living hostages and turning over the remains of 25 deceased hostages.

While foreign governments and aid organisations welcomed the ceasefire, tensions remained and ceasefire violations continue as Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza, while humanitarian situation is still catastrophic. —LDF, GMA Integrated News