Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: The Japanese government on Tuesday expressed serious concern about the situation surrounding Israel and Palestine, especially the violence in East Jerusalem, where many people have been injured and the launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip.

“The Japanese government has grave concerns over the Israeli-Palestinian situation,” Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu said. “Violence cannot be justified and Japan strongly condemns such action.”

“Japan is calling upon both Israel and Palestine for maximum restraint,” Motegi said. “Regarding the Middle East Peace Process, we will continue to cooperate with the local community and we will also engage in all initiatives.

“It is the belief of Japan that the issues between Israel and Palestine are issues that will not be resolved by violence; they can only be resolved through negotiations between the parties and efforts to build trust between them.”

Earlier, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it condemned the violence that has erupted in the region. It added that the current situation goes against the efforts of the international community to realize a “two-state solution” in which Israeli and Palestine states coexist peacefully.

The statement said the government of Japan urges all parties to refrain from unilateral actions as much as possible, to avoid further escalation of the situation and restore peace.

The Foreign Ministry statement said there was a possibility of forced eviction orders against Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, including in the Sheikh Jarrah district, and this could make the situation worse. In addition, the Israeli government’s plan to build 540 settlements in East Jerusalem is a continuation of the Israeli government’s settlement activities, which Japan has repeatedly requested to halt as a violation of international law.

“We urge the Israeli government to withdraw its decision and completely freeze its settlement activities,” the ministry said.