Diana Farah

DUBAI: The Palestinian Ambassador to Japan Waleed Siam said on Thursday that Japan has always been neutral in its position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making the Asian country a potentially successful peace negotiator.

Speaking exclusively to Arab News Japan, Siam said Japan’s position amid the conflict “is very important, and can still be a successful, neutral negotiator.”

A 2019 Arab News Japan YouGov study on how Arabs view Japan found that 56 percent of Arabs believe that Japan would be the ideal mediator in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Siam added the statement reiterates Japan’s “clear, respecting and supporting” position, especially in ensuring all UN resolutions are followed and comply with international law.

“Japan has been a generous donor to the infrastructure and economic development of the state of Palestine since 1994,” the envoy explained, adding: “And it supported the Palestinian refugees through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East since 1953.”

According to Siam, all aid provided by the Japanese government has “no political strings attached.”

Japan follows a policy that gives priority to human security and development, which is highly appreciated by the Palestinians, he said.

As tensions continue to rise and the UN’s Middle East envoy warning of an “all-out war” between Palestine and Israel, Japanese Deputy Defense Minister NAKAYAMA Yasuhide released a statement on Twitter on Wednesday claiming that Israel has a “right to defend itself against terrorists.”

Siam said Nakayama’s statement came as a “shock,” especially coming from a high-ranking Japanese official.

“I have been working with Japan for 25 years, I have never heard officially or personally any statement such as this,” Siam told Arab News. “Nakayama’s message sends a clear message of lack of respect to the loss of Palestinian civilian lives.”

He added: “We hope that he retracts his statement and comes back with an unbiased one.”

Japan has historically been on both sides of the coin; the country has been both occupied and the occupier at certain points in its history. Siam said Japan’s past helps its people to have a better understanding of the situation.

“I do believe the general views of average citizens in Japan is supportive of the Palestinians because of what they see on the news and the media. They see how the Israeli military occupation behaves,” he explained.

“Because they were occupied in the past and were hit by atomic bombs during the Second World War, they feel with the Palestinians and how they are the weaker link, just as they were the weaker link when the Americans attacked Japan,” Siam said.

Siam said he is also calling on the international community to immediately act to de-escalate the Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

“Israel is committing war crimes under international law, especially with the forceful displacement of Palestinian families.

“The violations and crimes are a threat to regional and international peace and security, which requires the international community to immediately act.”

He added: “We call on the Security Council to stop Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza. We are praying to the world to have the right to defend ourselves against the occupation force. But we still extend our hand for a peaceful solution.”

As of May 13, at least 83 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since violence escalated. Concern is growing that the situation could spiral further out of control if no agreement is reached.