ISTANBUL

Japan on Friday called for “accommodating” expectations of Palestinians ahead of the crucial UN Conference scheduled for next week in a bid to shore up support for a two-state solution.

The two-state solution “is consistently supported” by Tokyo, Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference.

He was responding to a question on France’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

“The Middle East peace process should be advanced… Palestinian expectations should be accommodated, and for this… efforts will be supported by us,” said Hayashi, calling for a “comprehensive” solution.

Tokyo’s statement came as China also on Friday backed the UN conference on Palestine, saying: “The two-state solution is the only practical way out of the Palestinian question.”

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced that Paris will officially recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly.

Macron’s announcement triggered angry reactions from both Israel and its ally, the US.

France will become the first member of the G7 – a group of the world’s largest advanced economies – to recognize a Palestinian state. Currently, 147 out of 193 UN member states officially recognize the state of Palestine.

The move also comes amid Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, which has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The military campaign has devastated the enclave, gutted the health care system, and led to severe food shortages.