Carla Chahrour

Japan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ishikane Kimihiro, welcomed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adoption of a Presidential Statement denouncing Israel’s plan to expand settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.

During a UNSC Middle East Peace Proces meeting following the adoption of the presidential statement, Kimihiro called for the reversal of the Israeli Government’s declaration of nine settler outposts in the occupied West Bank as legal under Israeli law as well as plans to advance new settlement construction, saying that “Israeli settlement activities are in violation of international law and must end immediately.”

Israel’s religious-nationalist coalition government on Feb. 12 granted retroactive authorization to nine settler outposts that had been erected without government approval, angering the Palestinians, who want the West Bank for a future state, which pressured international communities to intensify efforts to ease tensions.

In response, the UNSC adopted a presidential statement on Feb. 20 that expressed its “deep concern and dismay” with Israel’s announcement of further construction and expansion of settlements on occupied Palestinian territories.

“The Security Council reiterates that continuing Israeli settlements activities are dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines,” said the UNSC presidential statement agreed by consensus of all 15 members.

Kimihiro reiterated the telephone conversation that took place between  Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 13 where Kishida expressed his concern about the escalating tension between Israel and Palestine and the unilateral measures being taken by both sides.

He told the Security Council that the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank is “troubling” and referred to the violence trajectory that continued to surge since a series of lethal Palestinian street attacks in Israel last year, including the recent attack on the Jenin refugee camp, which led to the largest single death toll in years of fighting in the West Bank, citing to a report by OCHA.

Kimihiro called for the reversal of the Israeli Government’s declaration of nine settler outposts in the occupied West Bank as legal under Israeli law as well as plans to advance new settlement construction. “Israeli settlement activities are in violation of international law and must end immediately,” he said.

Meanwhile, he also condemned the escalation of tensions by Palestinians in Jerusalem by refering to the deadly shooting at a synagogue in East Jerusalem, which he described as a “terrorist attack,” and the car-ramming attack at a bus stop in Ramot.

“We condemn terror attacks in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that such acts are “deeply deplorable” as they only contribute to the intensification of violence in the area.

“As the situation surrounding Israel and Palestine witnesses continued clashes and violence resulting in a number of casualties, Japan calls for refraining from unilateral actions that exacerbate tensions,” he said.

This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the Japan-UNRWA partnership, Kimihiro said, while ensuring Japan’s commitment to assisting UNRWA to ensure that Palestinian refugees continue to receive life-saving assistance and basic services.

Kimihiro then reaffirmed Japan’s support for a two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that “In conclusion, there is no alternative to direct negotiations between the parties. Japan expresses its strong determination to revive the prospect of a two state solution and achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace and stability in the Middle East.”