Japan has warned Israel that it may impose “new measures” if Tel Aviv continues to take actions that block the path toward a viable two-state solution, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Monday during a United Nations “Conference on Palestine” in New York.
Addressing delegates, Iwaya expressed strong Japanese support for the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state. He emphasised that while Tokyo has long backed a two-state solution, the current deteriorating conditions—particularly the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and steps toward annexation—are “completely unacceptable.”
Iwaya cautioned that should Israel take further unilateral measures that “block the path to the realization of a two-state solution,” Japan will be “compelled to introduce new measures and a response.” He did not, however, specify what these measures might entail. Recognition of a Palestinian state is among the options being considered, according to the Foreign Minister.
On the question of recognition, Japan has so far resisted joining a growing number of countries formally recognising Palestinian statehood, even as international pressure mounts. The Japanese government maintains that it is not a matter of if, but when, to recognise Palestine: what matters now is the timing, feasibility, and steps that will actually advance peace.
Tokyo’s warning came as Israeli military operations in Gaza continue, and as settlement expansion in the West Bank intensifies—moves which Japan views as undermining the foundations of peace. In a related development, Japan last July imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians, marking one of its few concrete actions to date.
Japan has also been in direct diplomatic contact with Israel regarding recent developments. On September 19, Foreign Minister Iwaya held a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar. In that call, Iwaya condemned continued Israeli operations in Gaza City that have led to civilian casualties and humanitarian suffering, and urged Israel to immediately cease unilateral steps that risk jeopardizing the two-state framework.
