Newsletter No. 358
News-Analysis
August 18, 2006

 

TOKYO WANTS TO HOST AN ARAB-ISRAELI PEACE CONFERENCE IN NOVEMBER

It is reported that the Japanese government is taking an initiative to have a four-party peace conference in Tokyo in November. The four parties would be Japan, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. The idea was suggested by Koizumi to the relevant leaders during his trip to the region last month, and all three expressed some interest.

Tokyo is trying to use economic incentives and proposals to lure the various parties into greater cooperation. In regard to the recent upswing in political violence, a MOFA official told the Yomiuri: “With hostilities continuing, holding talks to bring about cooperation have become even more necessary.”

To prepare for the conference, some Japanese official (as yet unnamed) is expected to visit the region at the end of August.

One cannot avoid the sense that Tokyo’s policy is a little out-of-touch, since they seem to think that President Mahmud Abbas can speak for all Palestinians, studiously avoiding any mention or any invitation to Hamas. One also wonders if Tokyo even noticed what has just happened in Lebanon, and if this has altered any of their calculations -- apparently not.

Still, any event that gets Israeli leaders sitting down and talking with Arab leaders is probably worthwhile. It may not really help; but it probably won’t hurt either.