At meeting with Israeli ambassador JCP chair demands Israeli troops withdraw

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo called for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Palestinian self-rule areas in a meeting on April 12 with the Israeli Ambassador to Japan, Itzhak Lior.

The meeting took place at the JCP head office at the request of Ambassador Lior.

Lior emphasized that at issue is how to stop Palestinian terrorist attacks. The Israeli government is aiming to destroy the hotbed of those terrorists, not to occupy the Palestinian self-rule areas for a long time, Lior insisted.

Shii explained that the JCP has maintained that Israeli and Palestinian people need to recognize each other's rights to exist, instead of trying to destroy one another, and create the condition of peaceful co-existence.

Shii also said that it is wrong for the Israeli government to regard the Palestinian Authority and its leader as an enemy and declare war against them. Such an action cannot be justified as "fighting terrorism," he stated.

Shii went on to say, "As long as the Israeli government continues this action, it will lose its qualification to criticize terrorism."

The JCP chair said that the international community demands an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces in compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions. He asked the Ambassador to convey the JCP's request to his government. (end)