​​​​​​​RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL 

Palestinian Foreign Minister Farsin Aghabekian Shahin on Friday called on Canada to recognize the State of Palestine, saying the move is vital to protect the two-state solution from further erosion.

Shahin made the appeal during a phone call with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, according to a statement from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

She said Canadian recognition would “help preserve the political horizon for peace” and counter Israel’s continued unilateral actions.

The call comes amid renewed diplomatic momentum for Palestinian statehood.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would officially recognize Palestine during the UN General Assembly in September.

So far, 149 of the UN’s 193 member states have recognized Palestine—a number that has steadily risen since Israel began its war on Gaza in October last year.

Shahin and Anand also discussed the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and efforts to revive international engagement toward a comprehensive peace, the statement said.

Shahin stressed the urgent need for a cease-fire, unhindered humanitarian access, and an end to what she called Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, which violates international law.

She urged Canada to take a more active role in pressuring Israel to release Palestinian clearance revenues it has withheld for months.

“These funds are essential for the Palestinian Authority to continue providing basic services to its people,” she said, warning that the financial strain could undermine regional stability.

The Palestinian Authority has not been able to pay full salaries to public employees for the past two months. Since 2019, Israel has withheld portions of Palestinian tax revenues under various pretexts, totaling more than $2.7 billion.

Israel has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and triggered famine-like conditions.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.