This came in a speech delivered during a special session on Palestine, as part of the 11th edition of the Mediterranean Dialogues Forum, held in Naples, Italy, according to a statement issued by Shaheen's office.
In her speech, Shaheen stressed the need to preserve the unity of the Palestinian territories, saying, "There is no alternative to the two-state solution to ensure stability and security in the region."
She pointed out that the Palestinian National Authority is "most capable of administering the Gaza Strip, in line with the Palestinian leadership's drive to unify efforts under one state, one constitution, one law, and one weapon."
This comes amid ongoing implementation of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, which includes a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Minister Shaheen pointed to "ongoing efforts to achieve internal Palestinian reform."
She stressed that "the priority today is to end the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, as a prelude to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
On October 9, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan, following indirect negotiations between the two sides in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, and under US supervision.
A day later, the agreement entered into force, halting a two-year genocide perpetrated by Israel, with American support, against the Palestinians. The genocide left 67,967 dead and 170,179 wounded, most of them children and women, and destroyed approximately 90% of the civilian infrastructure.
