SINGAPORE: Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack on October 7 was “outrageous”, but severing diplomatic ties with it will not resolve the situation or reduce the suffering of Palestinians, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in parliament on Thursday (29 February).
Dr Balakrishnan responded to MPs’ questions regarding the Israel-Hamas war while outlining his ministry’s budget spending plans for this year.
Although the war had aroused strong emotions among Singaporeans, he urged them not to let the issue affect the country’s harmony or cohesion.
“While we may feel a range of emotions about this, the worst thing would be to allow this argument to polarize and divide us as Singaporeans,” he told parliament.
On October 7 last year, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Gunmen breached security barriers with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping scores of civilians.
Israel responded by relentlessly bombarding Gaza and sending in ground troops, killing and displacing Palestinians. More than 30,000 people have died in the region since the war began, according to the region’s health ministry.
Singapore condemned the attack and recognized Israel’s right to defend itself, similar to how Singapore would exercise the same right if its country were attacked, said Dr Balakrishnan, repeating what he previously stated in a parliamentary speech.
In his final speech to parliament in November on the conflict, Dr Balakrishnan stated that Israel must accept a Palestinian state, just as Palestinians must accept Israel’s right to exist.
But on Thursday, the minister said: “Unfortunately, Israel’s military response has gone too far.
“The disastrous situation in Gaza requires an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the intolerable suffering of civilian victims and enable humanitarian aid to quickly reach them.
BREAKING A RELATIONSHIP IS NOT “CONSTRUCTIVE”
Singapore has made its position clear, including at the UN voting for two UN General Assembly resolutions on protecting civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations, the minister said.
Responding to calls for Singapore to sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its actions, Dr Balakrishnan said this was not the right way.
“We manage international relations by remaining involved in the international community and maintaining relations with as many countries as possible,” said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that this was in Singapore’s national interest as a small country.
Cutting ties with a country whose actions Singapore does not approve of will not be “constructive” nor will it change the situation on the ground.
“Nor… this will not influence Israel to suddenly change its policies or will immediately reduce the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
He noted that none of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, or Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, had broken ties.
On whether relations with Israel were affected by Singapore’s position, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore maintains good relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“Everyone knows that Singapore will always express our opinion. “Not provocatively, but because these are the principles we uphold and we will continue to maintain this position, guided by Singapore’s long-term national interests and our unique circumstances,” he said.
He also warned against thinking about this conflict based on religion.
“Religion is actually just a coating that covers the core of the conflict. What is the essence of the conflict? “This is a long-standing conflict, a struggle for land, identity and power,” said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that the issue has been around for a long time. centuries, even millennia.
“Israelis and Palestinians are both Semitic tribes who have long fought over the same piece of land.” He added that it was impossible for Singapore as an outside party to determine which party had a stronger historical claim.
