Japan condemns Israeli plans to build 1,300 new settlements in Jerusalem
TOKYO - The Japanese government has criticized Israel's plans to build about 1,300 new residential units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Japan joins a number of countries that have also strongly criticized the plan.
"Israel's settlement activities violate international law and undermine the viability of the two-state solution," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The Japanese government deeply regrets the continuation of settlement activities by the Israeli government, despite repeated calls to freeze these activities from Japan and the international community," the statement continued.
In the statement, Japan underlined the need to build trust between Israel and the Palestinians and efforts to defuse tensions and stabilize the region.
"Japan strongly urges the Israeli government to cancel the above tender and approve the construction plan, and freeze settlement activities," the Japanese Foreign Ministry added.
This is not the first time Japan has expressed criticism of Israel's continued construction of Jewish settlements on the land they occupy. In 2016, Japan also made similar criticisms of Israel.
Previously, the United States (US) has also voiced "strong" opposition to the Israeli government's move to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The US State Department condemned Tel Aviv's new push to expand its settlement program. The United States says the move undermines peace efforts and bleaks prospects for a two-state solution.
"We are deeply concerned about the Israeli government's plans to resume thousands of settlement units tomorrow, Wednesday (10/27/2021), many of them deep in the West Bank," State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference Tuesday. 10/2021).