Japan urges Israel to ‘restore confidence’ with Palestinians

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Tokyo has urged Israel to “restore confidence” with Palestinians, the Japanese foreign minister said during his official trip to Israel.

Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu told his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on Wednesday evening in Tel Aviv that Japan supports a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He, however, urged Lapid that Israel “take concrete measures in order to restore confidence among the concerned parties,” said a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement.

Motegi is on a regional tour until Aug. 24 that includes stops in Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Jordan, and Qatar.

On Tuesday, the Japanese foreign minister met with Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas, and reaffirmed Tokyo’s support for an independent Palestinian state.

"Japan’s support for a two-state solution remains unchanged,” Motegi told Abbas in Ramallah.

Motegi told the Israeli foreign minister that Japan expects continued “cooperation of Israel for the implementation of Japan’s assistance to the Palestinians, including the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative.

Japan has provided more than $2.1 billion to help Palestine since 1993.

“Economic self-reliance of Palestine would be beneficial for both parties,” Motegi stressed.

He said: “The development of relations between Israel and Arab states would be a step toward easing tensions and stabilization of the region.”

The two ministers vowed to “further strengthen the bilateral relations” as Israel and Japan complete 70 years of their formal diplomatic relations in 2022.

Motegi and Lipad also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, and East Asia, including China and North Korea.

The visiting Japanese foreign minister separately also met Israel's president and prime minister.