Newsletter No. 882
News-Analysis
January 24, 2008

 

TOKYO SPEAKS OUT ON THE SEIGE OF GAZA

When both the New York Times and the Japanese Foreign Ministry are moved to criticize a certain policy of the Israeli government, then you’ve got to know that it is really, really bad. Collective punishment of the Palestinian community by the Israeli government has been going on for decades, but apparently, the decision to cut fuel supplies to Gaza’s power plant crossed a line that even the basically pro-Israeli champions of the establishment could not safely ignore, especially after watching ordinary Palestinians flood across the border to Egypt to buy supplies for survival.

The Israeli government’s decision to cut off fuel supplies to Gaza -- now clearly a PR disaster for them -- was taken due to Hamas’ continuing use of rockets to fire into Israel. There is no doubt that the Israelis were seriously provoked by Hamas. At the same time, the continuing US-Israel-Tokyo policy of ignoring Hamas and rejecting it as a legitimate spokesman for a significant proportion of the Palestinian community has given the Islamist party absolutely no incentive to moderate their behavior.

The Israeli policy seems to be to make life in Gaza so much of a hell that ordinary Palestinians will turn against Hamas and just surrender themselves to the Israeli will. The Hamas strategy is to use its incessant rocket attacks on Israel to prove that they cannot be safely ignored, and that their demands must be seriously addressed. The latest misstep by the Israeli government and its negative international reception seems to indicate that the Hamas strategy is gradually prevailing.

Readers of the Shingetsu Newsletter know that I’ve been consistent in saying that any real peace negotiations require Hamas to be at the table. I’ve taken some hits over this position, but I note with satisfaction that even the arch-conservative British paper The Telegraph has now headlined one of its editorials, “Israel, the US and Egypt Cannot Ignore Hamas.” It seems like the conventional wisdom is slowly inching toward my position on this matter.

Abhorrent as Hamas may be to some, they are a Palestinian political force that is not going to just disappear because Israel or the Bush Administration wants them to. The best way to really undermine Islamist radicalism is not collective punishment of all Gazans (which actually strengthens the hand of the radicals), but rather to treat all sides with respect and dignity, and to make a fair-minded and just settlement to the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict. Take away the fears and accommodate the legitimate Palestinian political grievances, and then the hatreds and passions will begin to subside of their own accord. If ordinary Palestinians feel that they’ve been given a fair shake, then they themselves will stop supporting the troublemakers, and a real peace will finally be achieved.

This should be common sense, but there are highly influential political and cultural forces that still manage to defeat common sense on this issue, and we all are paying a very heavy price for that. I’ll truly welcome the day when this patently solvable conflict is actually solved. But for now, the needless suffering on all sides continues.

Turning once again to the specifics of the current Japanese policy, MOFA released a statement on the 22nd expressing its “deep concern” over the Gaza situation, calling on “all parties” to step back from the confrontation. The very fact that MOFA released such a statement is welcome. It is much better than silence.

Still, the statement announces that they “support the peace efforts of President Abbas,” but the name “Hamas” doesn’t appear at all. I read this as yet another indication that Tokyo still backs the US-Israeli policy of denying Hamas any role as a legitimate interlocutor, and effectively demonstrates that Tokyo is still supporting the boycott of the political party which won the most recent Palestinian elections in early 2006.

Note to all concerned: It is for the Palestinian people alone to choose their representatives.

The full MOFA statement is provided at the end of this Newsletter.

Aid for Medical Services in the West Bank

On December 14th, MOFA announced emergency aid of US$10 million through the UN to improve the medical situation of Palestinians in the West Bank. The aid was targeted for medical equipment and ambulances to Qalqiliya Hospital, construction of additional floors for sickrooms and operation rooms in Jenin Hospital and Tulkarem Hospital, and other similar projects in the West Bank.

The Japanese government statement noted: “There is a grave concern over the financial crisis of the Palestinian Authority… Japan decided, therefore, extend this Emergency Grant Aid for improving the medical situation of the Palestinians in order to support the Palestinian Authority which is making enormous efforts to promote the Peace Process.”

In other words, this is yet another aspect of Tokyo’s policy to prop up the Abbas regime over its Hamas rivals.

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Current Situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories
January 22, 2008

The Government of Japan expresses its deep concern over the situation in the Gaza Strip, which threatens the lives of many civilians both in Gaza and in Israel, and would negatively affect the advancement of the Middle East Peace Process. The Government of Japan deplores that attacks including firing of the rockets from Gaza on Israeli territory are continuing, and also deplores that Palestinian civilians have been falling victims by the Israeli military operations and the closure of Gaza in retaliation for the attacks from Gaza.

The Government of Japan calls on all the parties concerned to avoid the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and support the peace efforts of President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. The Government of Japan also calls on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to exercise their utmost self-restraint to achieve a peace agreement by the end of this year. Japan will continue to support to the greatest extent possible the efforts towards the advancement of the Middle East Peace Process.