TOKYO: Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit has called on Japan to recognize the Palestinian state.
Addressing a press conference in Tokyo he said: “That is the only solution; the apartheid, annexation and oppression committed by Israel are not feasible solutions.”
He added that the Israeli occupation, persecution and oppression against Palestinians and Arabs since 1967 forced Hamas to attack Israel on October 7.
He said Israel wants to suppress the hopes of Palestinians for independence. Aboul Gheit went on to say that the Palestinian Authority is the only recognized governing entity of the people of Palestine.
He said the international military force must help the PA take control of the Gaza Strip and a global consortium to help rebuild Gaza destroyed by the Israeli bombardment.
The Arab League chief told the e audience that millions of Palestinians are living in tents without proper hygiene, water and daily necessities. He said the PA should rule Gaza, stating that the position of Hamas had shifted because of the conflict in the besieged enclave.
Aboul Gheit said Hamas itself came to the conclusion that the military confrontation was damaging the population of Palestine.
“We need a political course to reconcile the differences between Hamas and the PA, and between both of them and Israel,” he stressed. He also said that it is strange that resistance is praised in some cases and condemned in others.
“When you resist the Nazi occupation in Europe, like in France, Denmark and Norway, it is resistance and they are freedom fighters, but in Palestine and Africa, it is terrorism. We need one name for that,” said the secretary general.
Aboul Gheit stated that Israeli extremists are trying to expel Palestinians from their lands and populate the territories with settlers from Israel and the rest of the world.
He said Japan as a very honorable and respected country, should have a change of heart and recognize a Palestinian state.
