Thirteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives thanked Japan for continuing its isolation of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. The letter, released last week but sent to Ambassador Ryozo Kato on May 21, originally was intended to press Japan not to resume direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The letter was changed once Japan announced its intentions not to end participation in the international boycott, in place since March 2006, when the terrorist group assumed governance. The boycott is to remain in place until Hamas recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism. “Japan’s stand with the United States reaffirming the conditions for assistance to the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Authority underscores the strong relationship between our two nations,” says the letter, initiated by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
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