Japan imposes 1st sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank

TOKYO, Japan decided on Tuesday to freeze the assets of four Israeli settlers for violent acts against Palestinians in the West Bank, marking the first time the Japanese government has imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers. The decision, approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, was "for the purpose of contributing to the international efforts for achieving international peace aimed to resolve issues surrounding violent acts by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and in view of the measures taken by other major countries," the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that violent acts in the West Bank by Israeli settlers have been sharply increasing since Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack on Israel last October. "The acts of violence, intimidation, and destruction of property by some extremists against Palestinian communities have often resulted in casualties and forced Palestinian residents to leave, becoming a serious problem," the top governm ent spokesman explained at a press conference. "We will continue to strongly urge the Israeli government to completely freeze settlement activities in cooperation with the international community, including the Group of Seven (G-7) countries," Hayashi said. Source: Kuwait News Agency