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Japan And UAE Criticize Israeli Violence
TOKYO, April 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Japan on Thursday urged Israel to practice self-restraint to end the violence in the Middle East and to ease its tough economic sanctions against the Palestinians.
An Israeli foreign ministry official from Foreign Minister Shimon Peres' office said that Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said that, "Japan is deeply concerned about the escalating violence and urges Israel to practice self-restraint to halt it."
Kono telephoned Peres, who was in Athens for security talks with Palestinian ministers Nabil Shaath and Saeb Erakat, and talked for 20 minutes, the official said.
The Japanese foreign minister also asked Israel to ease the sanctions against the Palestinians, saying they were "devastating" the Palestinian economy, the official said.
Peres told Kono that Israel would not resort to violence to settle problems with the Palestinians, saying his government would continue to hold dialogue.
He added Israel had no intention to "destroy" the Palestinian Authority.
The crippling blockade imposed by Israel on the Palestinian territories since the uprising started more than six months ago has cost the Palestinian economy some one billion dollars, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, a Cabinet minister from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accused Israel of being neo-Nazis and said the United States should top the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, CNN reported.
"The Israelis are the neo-Nazis. Israel is carrying out all forms of terrorism," UAE Information Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, speaking Wednesday at the opening of a Palestinian exhibition, accusing the West of using double standards when it comes to Jews and Muslims.
"The value of a Jew for the West is higher than the value of a Muslim or a Christian, regardless of nationalities," said the minister.
"... Western countries should understand that their relations with the Arabs are more important than their relations with Israel," the Emirates minister said.
The number of people killed as a direct result of the Palestinian uprising which broke out in late September is now 467 - 382 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs, 71 Israelis and one German.
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