By KUNA
Tokyo : Japan voiced concern Thursday over Israel’s plans to resume construction of some 750 housing units at the settlement in the vicinity of Jerusalem, urging the Israeli government to immediately reverse the decision.
“Such measure in the controversial settlements might further undermine the momentum for peace and might have negative impacts on the current peace process between the Israeli and the Palestinian sides,” Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama said in a statement.
“Japan strongly hopes that the Israeli side will fulfill the road map obligations for Middle East peace and will make due efforts with maximum self-restraints and good-faith for the bilateral negotiations in order not to ‘ecalate deterioration in’ the situation on the ground,” Kodama said.
Israel announced Sunday it is to expand the Jewish settlements by building 750 new homes in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967.