Global Geopolitical Series: PLO says Japan to support Palestinian statehood and increase aid

Speaking to reporters, earlier this week, Nabil Shaath, a senior aide to the President of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)/ Palestinian Authority (PA) Mahmoud Abbas, said that Japan has pledged to recognize the independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital after a bilateral meeting.

Japan, which voted against the decision made by President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at UN general assembly vote reportedly rejected Trump’s recognition once more during the bilateral meeting.

According to Shaath, Japan would start collecting signatures from members of the Parliament, who would call for the government to recognize the state of Palestine. Japan also reportedly pledged to increase its diplomatic presence in Ramallah, the second most important city for the PLO/PA after Jerusalem. Shaath also reported that the Japanese officials, including the Foreign Minister Taro Kono and other MPs, had announced their support for an international peace conference to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international resolutions.

Mr. Nabil added that while the United States decided to cut aid to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Japan has pledged to increase its financial support.