Japanese, Jordanian Foreign Ministers Agree to Cooperate to Realize Humanitarian Cease-fire in Gaza

By Ayaka Kudo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:55 JST, November 5, 2023

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Al Safadi, in Amman on Saturday, and they shared great concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed to cooperate to realize a temporary humanitarian pause of the fighting in the Palestinian territory.

Kamikawa expressed her gratitude to the Jordanian government for accepting a Self-Defense Forces aircraft standing by for evacuating Japanese nationals from Israel. She also stated that the Japanese government would provide about $65 million (about ¥9.7 billion) in additional aid to Palestine.

Later in the day, she spoke by telephone with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, confirming close cooperation regarding the ongoing situation.

Prior to the meeting in Amman, Kamikawa talked to reporters on Friday night. Asked about whether the current Israeli military actions are within the scope of international law, she stopped short of making a specific assessment, saying, “Attacks that unnecessarily drag innocent civilians into the conflict are against the principles of international humanitarian law and cannot be justified.”