Halt Israeli military attacks now
-- Interview with JCP International Bureau Director Ogata

The Israeli government led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon branded the
Palestine Authority as a supporter of terrorists, and suspended its contacts
with Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestine Authority. The Israeli forces
occupied part of autonomous districts, causing heavy casualties among
Palestinian citizens.

Ogata Yasuo, Japanese Communist Party International Bureau director,
discussed the present critical situation relating to the question of
Palestine in an interview published in Akahata Sunday Edition of December
23.

Q: What is your view on the present situation?

Ogata: The serious aspect is that the Israeli military attacks are directly
aimed at the Palestine Authority.

In 1993, through the mediation of the Norwegian foreign minister, Israel
and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) reached the Oslo Accords,
which stipulates that the problem should be settled through direct dialogue
toward peaceful coexistence. Along with the United Nations resolutions which
called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied areas, the
Oslo Accords have been the basic framework for settling the question of
Palestine .

The Israeli attacks will overturn this framework for a peaceful
settlement of the Palestine question.

Drawing lessons from Israel's military control of Palestine that has
caused heavy casualties for many years on both sides, and resolving that
there should be no more victims, Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords
paving the way for achieving peace through dialogue in response to
international calls for peace in the Middle East.

The Israeli government is acting with the attitude of rejecting all
negotiations and carrying out massive retaliation against terrorist attacks.
This is an outrageous action that will quickly destroy the Middle East peace
process.

PLO Chairman Arafat called for all acts of terrorism to be ended, and
declared a crackdown on offenders. Notwithstanding this, Israel is carrying
on military attacks. By this, the Israeli government denies the Palestine
people's right of national self-determination and establishes its military
control over the Palestinians.

JCP Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo at the JCP Dietmembers assembly
on December 7 criticized Israel for labeling the Palestine Authority as an
organization supporting terrorism and then attacking them. He criticized the
Israeli move for bringing into international politics the illegitimate
attitude that any action is tolerable as long as it is labeled
"anti-terrorist."

We demand that the Israeli government end its illegitimate moves to scrap
the Oslo Accords and immediately end the military attacks.

Q. The question of Palestine has always been a major issue in international
politics. How has the JCP dealt with it?

O. In calling for a just solution to the question of Palestine, we have said
that the Palestinian people's right to national self-determination,
including the right to establish an independent state must be recognized. We
have demanded that Israel withdraw from all occupied territories and that
Palestine and Israel stop calling for each other's destruction and seek to
establish conditions for their peaceful coexistence.

We have never joined the call for the destruction of Israel or supported
the view that rejects the existence of the Israeli state; nor have we
supported any terrorist activity involving the indiscriminate murder of
citizens. We have proposed the idea of coexistence that naturally calls for
recognition of the right of Israel to exist as a state.

In the past, this JCP stance was in the minority at international
conferences. It was very difficult to maintain this position at that time.

But later, our proposal came to be recognized as the starting point for
the settlement of the question of Palestine and has been accepted
internationally. For example, when the Oslo Accords were concluded, all
parties concerned agreed to seek the coexistence of the Israelis and the
Palestinians as well as improve dialogue between them. Although the Oslo
Accords contain several problems, its basic direction based on dialogue and
the acceptance of each other's right to exist coincides with the JCP's
consistent position.

The peace process has been made possible by the efforts of the
international community. The task now is for the international community to
raise its voice and join efforts to fight against Israel's outrageous acts
in order to protect the peace process in the Middle East and the world.

Q. What do you think of the U.S. attitude?

We strongly criticize the U.S. government for supporting the outrageous
acts of Israel.

The U.S. government has consistently supported the Israeli government and
expressed support for this brutal military attacks by the Sharon
administration. The United States vetoed the U.N. Security Council
resolution which called for the establishment of a monitoring system to
prevent violence between Israel and the Palestinian people and protect the
Palestinians.

The Sharon government has insisted that the United States is carrying out
a war in Afghanistan against international terrorists and therefore Israel
would do the same. Taking advantage of the U.S. excuse in continuing attacks
on Afghanistan, Israel is taking an even more reckless attitude toward the
Palestinians.

Since September 2000, as the Palestinian situation has become worse, the
JCP has expressed opposition to both terrorist attacks and retaliations, and
called on the two sides to show restraint so that the cycle of terror
attacks and retaliations be ended and the problems be discussed in the
direction toward a peaceful solution. Our position hasn't changed.

I want to emphasize that under the present situation the Israeli
government's policy of ignoring the Palestinian Authority under the pretext
of continuing terrorist activities by the Palestinians and of justifying the
war against the Palestinian Authority is impermissible, as it goes against
the principles of peace in the Middle East and international justice. (end)