SINGAPORE: Israel's military response to the Oct 7 Hamas attack has "gone too far", but severing diplomatic ties with the country would not resolve the situation nor reduce the suffering of Palestinians, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said in parliament on Thursday (Feb 29).
Dr Balakrishnan was responding to MPs' questions on the Israel-Hamas war while laying out his ministry's budget spending plans for the year.
While the war has evoked strong emotions among Singaporeans, he urged them not to let the issue affect the country's harmony or cohesion.
"Whilst we may feel a diversity of emotions on this, the worst thing would be to let this quarrel polarise and divide us as Singaporeans," he told parliament.
On Oct 7 last year, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Gunmen breached security barriers with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza, killing about 1,200 and kidnapping scores of civilians.
Israel has responded by relentlessly bombarding Gaza and sending in ground troops, killing and displacing Palestinians. More than 30,000 people have been killed in the territory since the war began, according to its health ministry.
Singapore condemned the attack and recognised Israel's right to self-defence, similar to how Singapore would invoke the same right should the country have been attacked, said Dr Balakrishnan, echoing what he previously stated in a parliamentary speech.
In his last parliamentary speech in November about the conflict, Dr Balakrishnan stated that Israel must accept a Palestinian state, just as Palestinians should accept Israel's right to exist.
On Thursday however, the minister said: "Unfortunately, Israel's military response has gone too far.
"The catastrophic situation in Gaza demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the unbearable suffering of the civilian victims and to enable humanitarian assistance to reach them immediately."
SEVERING TIES NOT "CONSTRUCTIVE"
Singapore has made its position clear, including at the United Nations where it voted for two UN General Assembly resolutions on the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations, said the minister.
Addressing calls for Singapore to sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its actions, Dr Balakrishnan said this was not the right way forward.
"We manage our international relations by remaining engaged with the international community and maintaining ties with as many countries as possible," said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that this was in Singapore's national interests as a small country.
Breaking ties with a country whose actions Singapore disapproved of would not be "constructive" nor would it change the situation on the ground.
"Nor ... will it influence Israel to suddenly change its policies or will it necessarily immediately reduce the suffering of the Palestinians."
He noted that none of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, or Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan, had broken off ties.
On whether relations with Israel have been affected by Singapore's position, Dr Balakrishnan said it maintained good ties with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
"All sides know that Singapore will always speak our minds. Not provocatively, but because these are dearly held principles that we uphold and that we will continue to maintain these positions, guided by Singapore's long-term national interests and our unique circumstances," he said.
He also cautioned against thinking of the conflict along religious lines.
"Religion is actually a veneer covering the heart of the conflict. What is the heart of the conflict? It's an age-old conflict, a fight over land, over identity, over power," said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that the issue went back centuries, even thousands of years.
"The Israelis and Palestinians are both Semitic tribes who have been fighting over the same sliver of land for such a long time."
He added that it was not possible for Singapore, as an outsider, to determine which party had a stronger historical claim.
MORE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR GAZA
Singapore will donate a third tranche of aid for Gaza through Jordan, Dr Balakrishnan said.
"We will continue also our long-standing support for the Palestinian Authority's capacity-building efforts through our S$10 million Enhanced Technical Assistance Package," he said.
"We do all this because we look forward to the day when there's peace, and that there is a functioning, capable Palestinian state, and that the Palestinian people get the peace and progress which they so richly deserve."
The minister said he appreciated that many Singaporeans felt deeply about the situation in Gaza, but reiterated that foreign policy could not be driven by sentiment or affinity to any external group.
Since as early as last October, Singapore authorities have warned against holding events and public assemblies related to the Israel-Hamas situation.
The Singapore Police Force and the National Parks Board have turned down applications for such events at Hong Lim Park, citing public safety and security concerns.
More recently, the police have investigated a slew of events related to the war and warned off calls to protest at the Singapore Airshow.
Even teaching the subject at schools has raised concerns among Singaporeans.
Foreign policy should be based on Singapore's core interests and acting consistently in accordance with the principles that safeguard its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, said Dr Balakrishnan.
While a variety of opinions was "healthy" and provided the basis for making "collective decisions as a country", Singaporeans should always find the middle ground, compromise and arrive at a consensus, he added.
"Our diversity is both a strength but also, (the) same windows of opportunity also provide windows for (external) influence and for discord and divisiveness. This is not a bug. This is a design feature of Singapore," he said.
"And so long as we remember that we do not, we must not, allow centrifugal pressures to threaten our harmony and our cohesion, we can continue to take advantage of our diversity."
SINGAPORE SHOULD NOT SEVER TIES: PRITAM SINGH
In clarification questions, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh asked how Singapore moved forward with foreign policy when the government of another country took a "diametrically different position" from its own, such as in the case of the Israel-Hamas war, where the Israeli leadership does not believe in a two-state solution.
Seeking his own clarification, Dr Balakrishnan asked if Mr Singh agreed that Singapore should not sever diplomatic ties even when it had a fundamental disagreement on policy with the other country.
Mr Singh replied: "My query on diplomatic ties – I'd rather be in communication with a party rather than not be in communication with the party.
"But the point I think was about how you respond when the other party actually takes a diametrically different position from your national position."
Mr Singh then agreed that Singapore should not sever ties.
In response, Dr Balakrishnan said he could not recall Singapore having broken off ties with another country.
"Will a performative gesture of formally breaking ties, will that necessarily be helpful?" he asked.
It would be better for Singapore to keep channels of communication open, he said, adding that while Singapore had to take action to signify disapproval at times, such action would be "restrained" and be focused on outcomes.
Singapore ministers and diplomats had access to all the countries in the Middle East, he added.
"We don't agree with everything that every counterpart in Israel and Arab countries state. But they listen to us. They respect our positions, they work with us to deliver assistance," Dr Balakrishnan said.
Similarly, Member of Parliament Nadia Ahmad Samdin (PAP-Ang Mo Kio) asked how Singapore's foreign policy and its position for a ceasefire informed domestic policies across the ministries, such as the Ministry of Education on educating students and the Ministry of Home Affairs on permits issued.
Dr Balakrishnan replied that he could not speak for the other ministries, but that his ministry accepts that differences from foreign counterparts are "in the nature of things". He reiterated that taking a consistent, principled base would help Singapore operate internally and externally amid diversity.
In his reply, Dr Balakrishnan underlined Singapore's stance that hostages taken on Oct 7 should be released "completely, immediately and unconditionally".
"We are simply taking (the) stand, (the) principle (that) terrorism is wrong. Hostage taking is wrong, please release the hostages immediately. Do not use any excuse, historical or whatever to cover for that."
At the same time, Israel should recognise that there was a limit to pursuing self-defence and that "two wrongs don't make a right", he said.
"At the end of it all, remember despite all the diversity in the world ... we're all human beings, and we must feel something for innocent civilians."
Source: CNA/wt(kg)
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