Senior Israeli embassy officials receive message from Japanese Foreign Ministry saying 'Japan expresses its regret at military operation against Jericho prison as act to heighten tension in region'; meanwhile, Japan decides to extend humanitarian aid to Palestinians
TOKYO – The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its regret Friday night over the IDF's operation in Jericho Tuesday. As customary in Japan, the message was personally conveyed in a diplomatic language to senior officials at the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo.
In the past, Ambassador Eli Cohen and the Israeli envoy were summoned for a ‘scolding talk’ by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi following the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
According to the ministry's statement, ‘Japan expresses its regret at the military operation conducted on March 14 by the Israeli Defense Force against the prison in Jericho as an act to heighten the tension in the region.’
‘At the same time, Japan expresses its regret at the kidnappings of foreign nationals in the Palestinian Territories, including aid staff, and the destruction of foreign facilities, which would seriously hamper the international aid activities for the Palestinians,’ the statement added.
The statement went on to say that ‘Japan is deeply concerned that the Israeli military operation and the ensuing violence in the Palestinian Territories may negatively affect the future efforts towards peace. Japan calls on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to exercise their utmost self-restraint to prevent further deterioration of the situation, to end the violence and to restore the quiet.’
The U.N. Security Council convened Thursday night in a bid to formulate a statement on Israel's operation in the Jericho prison, but the meeting came to an abrupt halt after Palestinian representatives offered a last-minute amendment.
The statement was meant to include clauses condemning the death of the Palestinians who were killed during the operation and the abduction of foreign nationals in the PA territories following the prison raid.
Food aid for Palestinian refugees
In the meantime, Japan announced that it has decided to extend food aid of a total of 660 million yen (approximately USD 6 million) for Palestinian refugees and other Palestinian population through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the World Food Program (WFP).
According to a statement released by the Japanese government, Japan informed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Japan in May 2005 of its policy to give all possible support to his peace efforts. At the same occasion, Japan announced its intention to provide approximately USD 100 million dollars for the immediate future.
Japan said in the statement that while it is paying close attention to see if the new Palestinian Authority to be formed will make efforts for promoting the peace process, it has decided to provide this humanitarian assistance from the viewpoint of preventing further deterioration of Palestinians' living condition and thus, strengthening peace-oriented public opinion.
According to the statement, UNRWA plans to distribute wheat flour and pulses purchased with this food aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and WFP plans to distribute wheat flour to vulnerable people such as orphans, elderly people, undernourished children and physically weak people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
‘It is hoped that the food aid will alleviate food shortages of the Palestinian people and thus contribute to advancing the Middle East peace process,’ the Japanese statement concluded.