A lonely struggle between Palestine and Israel that has abandoned the spirit of “negotiation”
Tent CAMP housing refugees in Gaza. There is no solution in sight to the Palestinian issue (Photo: Reuters/Afro)
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Hamas, which rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, and Israel have been exploring ways to cease fighting, but no agreement has been reached between the two sides. Hamas has called for a permanent ceasefire, but as of February 8, 2024, Israel has not stopped its attacks on Gaza, with the goal of annihilating Hamas.
Why has the conflict between Israel and Palestine never ended, and what does it take to end it? 『Gaza: Israel and Palestine as seen by a Japanese diplomatWe spoke to Koichi Nakagawa, a former diplomat who worked at the Embassy of Japan in Israel and the Japanese Government Representative Office in Gaza from 1998 to 2001, who published the book “Gentosha”. (Interviewer: Yoko Seki, writer & video creator)
──How did you become involved in the Middle East, especially Israel and Palestine?
Mr. Koichi Nakagawa (hereinafter referred to as Nakagawa):I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, and in October 1993, six months before I joined the Ministry, I was approached to be in charge of Arabic language. Until then, I didn’t know any Arabic. It was a foreign language to me, I didn’t even know where it was spoken.
After entering the ministry, I stayed in Egypt from 1995 to 1998 for Arabic language training. Egypt’s neighbor is Israel. Egypt also borders the Gaza Strip, which is now the Palestinian Authority.
While I was in Egypt, I heard Egyptians talking a lot about Israel and Palestine. When that happens, I become interested in Israel and Palestine.
I decided to see it for myself and attended a summer course at Israel’s Hebrew University in Jerusalem in July 1996. On weekends when I didn’t have summer course lectures, I visited the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River.
At a refugee camp in Gaza, I met an old man named Mustafa. He told me about his life, even though I could only speak a smattering of Arabic.
Originally from the territory of present-day Israel. When the First Middle East War broke out in 1948, he came to Gaza as a refugee. He wants to return to his hometown someday.
While I understand Mustafa’s feelings, I was in Israel attending a summer course. Of course, I also have Israeli friends. Some of them were Palestinians who had lost their family members to Hamas terrorism.
I requested to work in Israel and Palestine because I wanted to understand the root of the issue between Israel and Palestine. My hope came true, and from 1998 to 2001 I worked at the Embassy of Japan in Israel and the Japanese Government Representative Office in Gaza.
—What is the “Oslo Accord” that comes up frequently in this book?
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2024-02-11 21:00:00
