パレスチナを含む中東情勢に関する安保理公開ビデオ会合における石兼大使ステートメント
令和3年1月26日
Mr. President,
I would like to begin by congratulating Mr. Mladenov for the completion of his duty as the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Japan had the privilege to closely cooperate with him and highly appreciated his devotion to realizing peace in the region. I would also like to welcome the appointment of Mr. Wennesland as the new Special Coordinator and look forward to working with him.
First and foremost, I would like to reaffirm Japan’s commitment to supporting a two-state solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and internationally agreed parameters. While there are some positive signs such as the resumption of financial cooperation between the two sides, the situation on the ground remains worrisome. The Government of Israel continues settlement activities, including the issuance of the settlement tender for about 1,200 housing units in East Jerusalem last November and the decision in January 2021 to advance plans for some 800 settlement units that are mostly located deep inside the occupied West Bank. The Government of Japan deeply deplores the continued settlement activities by the Government of Israel despite repeated calls from the international community including Japan for a freezing of such activities. Settlement activities are in violation of international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution. Japan reiterates its call upon the Government of Israel to fully freeze those activities.
Intra-Palestinian reconciliation is another imperative to realizing a two-state solution. In this respect, Japan welcomes the Presidential decree dated 15 January 2021 to hold a series of elections in Palestine. Japan believes realization of these elections will mark an important step towards establishing a future democratic and independent Palestinian state. The positive engagement of all the concerned parties, including the Palestinian factions as well as the Israeli government, is essential for the success of these elections. Japan strongly hopes that free, fair, and inclusive elections will be held which will include voting by Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Japan continues to support Palestine as it seeks to achieve unity through these elections and we will continue to engage constructively in the realization of Middle East peace.
Mr. President,
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose serious risks to human security, threatening people’s survival, livelihoods and dignity around the world. Palestine is no exception and the pandemic is adding more difficulties for the Palestinian people on top of existing ones. Japan highly values the irreplaceable work of UNRWA in support of the Palestinian people and commends its work to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19. We have therefore made additional contributions to the Agency since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the total of Japan’s contribution to UNRWA in 2020 amounted to more than 30 million USD. Most recently, Japan decided to make a fresh contribution of 1.5 million USD last December to provide humanitarian assistance such as the provision of food and winter clothing kits, as well as assistance in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). One example I wish to make particular reference to is the mobile application named ‘Your Health with UNRWA’ developed with Japan’s contribution and launched last October. The application allows all registered Palestinians to access their health records and relevant healthcare materials online. Japan expects this project will be conducive to leaving no one’s health behind toward achieving universal health coverage in Palestine.
Mr. President,
Recognizing the Palestinians’ longstanding aspirations for statehood, Japan will continue to help the parties build confidence and provide assistance for Palestinians’ state-building efforts. We will continue to promote our own initiatives towards this end, such as the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” and the “Conference on Cooperation among East Asian countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)”. Once again I would like to urge both sides to resume direct negotiations seizing any possible opportunities, and I strongly hope to see this year new progress toward the realization of peace in the Middle East.
I thank you.
I would like to begin by congratulating Mr. Mladenov for the completion of his duty as the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Japan had the privilege to closely cooperate with him and highly appreciated his devotion to realizing peace in the region. I would also like to welcome the appointment of Mr. Wennesland as the new Special Coordinator and look forward to working with him.
First and foremost, I would like to reaffirm Japan’s commitment to supporting a two-state solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and internationally agreed parameters. While there are some positive signs such as the resumption of financial cooperation between the two sides, the situation on the ground remains worrisome. The Government of Israel continues settlement activities, including the issuance of the settlement tender for about 1,200 housing units in East Jerusalem last November and the decision in January 2021 to advance plans for some 800 settlement units that are mostly located deep inside the occupied West Bank. The Government of Japan deeply deplores the continued settlement activities by the Government of Israel despite repeated calls from the international community including Japan for a freezing of such activities. Settlement activities are in violation of international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution. Japan reiterates its call upon the Government of Israel to fully freeze those activities.
Intra-Palestinian reconciliation is another imperative to realizing a two-state solution. In this respect, Japan welcomes the Presidential decree dated 15 January 2021 to hold a series of elections in Palestine. Japan believes realization of these elections will mark an important step towards establishing a future democratic and independent Palestinian state. The positive engagement of all the concerned parties, including the Palestinian factions as well as the Israeli government, is essential for the success of these elections. Japan strongly hopes that free, fair, and inclusive elections will be held which will include voting by Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Japan continues to support Palestine as it seeks to achieve unity through these elections and we will continue to engage constructively in the realization of Middle East peace.
Mr. President,
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose serious risks to human security, threatening people’s survival, livelihoods and dignity around the world. Palestine is no exception and the pandemic is adding more difficulties for the Palestinian people on top of existing ones. Japan highly values the irreplaceable work of UNRWA in support of the Palestinian people and commends its work to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19. We have therefore made additional contributions to the Agency since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the total of Japan’s contribution to UNRWA in 2020 amounted to more than 30 million USD. Most recently, Japan decided to make a fresh contribution of 1.5 million USD last December to provide humanitarian assistance such as the provision of food and winter clothing kits, as well as assistance in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). One example I wish to make particular reference to is the mobile application named ‘Your Health with UNRWA’ developed with Japan’s contribution and launched last October. The application allows all registered Palestinians to access their health records and relevant healthcare materials online. Japan expects this project will be conducive to leaving no one’s health behind toward achieving universal health coverage in Palestine.
Mr. President,
Recognizing the Palestinians’ longstanding aspirations for statehood, Japan will continue to help the parties build confidence and provide assistance for Palestinians’ state-building efforts. We will continue to promote our own initiatives towards this end, such as the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” and the “Conference on Cooperation among East Asian countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)”. Once again I would like to urge both sides to resume direct negotiations seizing any possible opportunities, and I strongly hope to see this year new progress toward the realization of peace in the Middle East.
I thank you.