ISTANBUL
Japan said Tuesday that it opposes any move to undermine the two-state solution in Palestine, stressing the “grave humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip that is “marked by hunger and malnutrition.”
“Japan fully recognizes the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to create an independent state,” Uemura Tsukasa, Japan’s special envoy for Middle East peace, said at a UN Palestine conference.
It came after the US rejected the international conference on the two-state solution at UN headquarters in New York on Monday as “unproductive” and an “ill-timed” effort that undermines diplomacy.
Tsukasa, demanding the release of all hostages, said that “Japan firmly opposes any action that undermines the realization of a two-state solution, including the potential occupation of Gaza and the expansion of settlement activities in the West Bank.”
Zhai Jun, China’s Middle East envoy, said, “Innocent lives are still being lost and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis persists” in Gaza.
“Under the current circumstances, the international community must not only stand for a solution, but also for action, taking real steps to advance the two-state solution,” said Zhai. “China calls on the Security Council to take all actions necessary to end this worst humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century as soon as possible and create practical conditions for implementing a two-state solution.”
Separately, Indonesian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arrmanatha Nasir, pointed out that “the future of Palestine must be Palestinian-led,” noting that “any attempt to forcibly displace them or impose conditions on the sovereignty must be firmly rejected.”
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