Singapore's Stance on Proposal for UN Membership for Palestine and Assistance for Rebuilding of Palestine

39 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what is Singapore’s position on the recent unsuccessful draft UN Security Council resolution to recommend granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations; and (b) what are Singapore's considerations to support such a recommendation, in light of Singapore's voting record of abstention on the status of Palestine in the United Nations as a non-Member Observer State at the 67th UN General Assembly on 29 November 2012.

40 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how effective has Singapore's technical assistance to Palestinian officials been in helping the Palestinian Authority to function more effectively as a state; (b) what other contribution is Singapore making towards realising a two-state solution with the Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace and security; and (c) what prevents Singapore from officially recognising the State of Palestine before a two-state solution is reached.

41 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether Singapore has any plans to train Palestinian officials from Gaza towards aiding in the reconstruction of the enclave once military operations have ceased.

42 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of the votes by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on a resolution to support the admission of Palestine as a UN member and the subsequent actions by certain European Union states to recognise Palestine as a state in May 2024 (a) whether it is timely for Singapore to recognise Palestine as a state; and (b) if so, what are the considerations in doing so.

43 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether Singapore will consider establishing full diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine; and (b) if not, what are Singapore's considerations for not doing so.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mr Speaker, I seek your approval to answer Question Nos 39 to 43 collectively as they all relate to the issue of Palestine.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you. Let me begin by reaffirming the principles that guide Singapore's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We have consistently advocated for a negotiated two-state solution that is consistent with the relevant United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions because we believe this is a way for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace and security. In fact, this is the only viable path for achieving a comprehensive, a just and a durable solution to this conflict.

We have also consistently supported the right of the Palestinian people to a homeland. In 1988, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) issued a proclamation on the State of Palestine which affirmed the UN's partition of the Mandate of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish State, as well as the PLO's decision to renounce violence against Israel. We welcomed this proclamation back in 1988 because the PLO had therefore explicitly rejected terrorism and recognised the right of the State of Israel to exist. We saw these moves as progress towards a durable solution.

On 18 April 2024, a UN Security Council resolution that recommended that Palestine be admitted for membership to the UN was vetoed. On 10 May 2024, the General Assembly took up a resolution expressing support for Palestine's membership in the UN and recommended that the Security Council reconsider this matter favourably. Singapore voted in favour of this resolution after very careful consideration.

This reflected our hope to encourage both Israel and Palestine to resume direct negotiations towards a two-state solution, at a time when, in fact, the prospects for such negotiations were increasingly bleak. We therefore decided to join the majority of the international community in supporting this resolution, which is also in line with our long-standing support for the principles of international law and for the implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Our vote at the UN's General Assembly means that Singapore is prepared in principle to recognise the State of Palestine. We will make this move at an appropriate time. Our key consideration is that such a move on our part should help progress towards peace and a negotiated two-state solution. In particular, there will need to be an effective Palestinian government that accepts Israel's right to exist and categorically rejects terrorism.

Both sides have legitimate rights and both peoples have a right to live in peace and dignity within secure borders. We urge both sides to seize the moment, to take steps towards a long-lasting peace and to put an end to the suffering that has gone on for far too long. Ultimately, Israelis and Palestinians need to exercise leadership and will have to work together to forge a better future for their peoples. As Singapore is a friend to both, Singapore will continue to offer our encouragement and our tangible support to both Palestinians and Israelis.

Singapore will continue our engagement with the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to implement our S$10 million Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP) to help the Palestinian Authority build capacity and to prepare for eventual statehood. To date, we have trained more than 750 officials in a variety of areas, including diplomacy, water management, economic development and urban planning. These are important vital areas that any government will need have the necessary expertise in.

During my recent visit to Ramallah in March 2024, the Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Mustafa expressed his appreciation for our long-standing technical assistance and, in fact, he sought further capacity-building support, especially in civil service training and in digitalisation. I welcomed his interest in these areas and I said that Singapore will do our best to respond. As a follow-up, there will be a course on "Transforming Public Service with the Power of Artificial Intelligence" which we will conduct for Palestinian Authority officials later this month.

We will also provide fully funded scholarships for Palestinian officials to pursue postgraduate studies in our local universities. Three Palestinian officials have already been awarded scholarships this year, I think in accountancy, international political economy and info-communications security. We hope that this training opportunities will help the Palestinian Authority officials better serve the Palestinian people, as well as equip them with necessary skills when it comes to the eventual reconstruction of Gaza.

On Mr Faisal Manap's specific question on training Palestinian officials to aid in the reconstruction of Gaza, let me just state that Singapore will assess how best we can help bilaterally and, in fact, as part of a multilateral effort. I remain in close and constant contact with all my counterparts in the Middle East on this issue. Singapore participated in a conference co-hosted by King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on 11 June this year to discuss the humanitarian response to Gaza. We stand ready to contribute, taking into account Gaza's needs and in account of our own resources and expertise. But clearly, all these can only take effect when the fighting ceases. For now, the focus has to be on securing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all the hostages immediately.

Mr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): I thank the Minister for his answers. Sir, what would be the thresholds that need to be crossed for Singapore to recognise the State of Palestine? Specifically, would it happen only when a two-state solution is negotiated and concluded? If so, this is no different from Singapore's previous position.

Secondly, does the Minister agree that the formal recognition of Palestine's statehood by Singapore and other countries which have close relations with Israel, like Spain, Ireland and Norway, would be a significant statement of unequivocal support for the two-state solution and will give impetus to advancing the moribund peace process?

Lastly, would the Minister agree that the recognition of Palestine would allow for negotiations to proceed on a more equal footing between two recognised states, the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, rather than one state negotiating with a non-state entity?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I thank Mr Giam for the questions. In fact, I thank him for accompanying me on my trip to the Middle East in March.

Let me reiterate that we are prepared, in principle, to recognise Palestine and the principal consideration is: when we do this, would it be helpful or would it hinder the progress towards peace and which, in turn, in fact, depends on negotiations between both sides.

The Member mentioned "equal". But a key point and the prickly question which every single country that is pondering this question has to decide is: is there an effective Palestine government or leadership who represents all Palestinians which has effective control over, at the minimum, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and has the mandate, has the authority to negotiate with the Israelis on behalf of the Palestinians?

And, quite frankly, I think every other country in the world will have to grapple with this same question but will arrive at that answer, probably at a different threshold or a different point in time. Frankly, it will also depend on their own domestic circumstances. So, I would say that we are not going to lock ourselves into a specific time or to whether or not other countries have made decisions in parallel on the same fundamental question.

So, let me summarise again. We are prepared, in principle, to recognise the state of Palestine. But we want to do so at an appropriate moment when it is helpful, and you must have an effective Palestine government and one, which I alluded to earlier, which must categorically renounce terrorism and must accept the right of Israel to exist.

Within those parameters, I look forward to progress. I do not know exactly when that will happen, but I certainly look forward to progress.

Mr Speaker: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Speaker, I thank the hon Minister for the response to my question. Two supplementary questions.

Firstly, the recognition of a state is not merely a diplomatic exercise. It entails legal implications as well. Under international law, there are conditions for the recognition of a statehood. So, has the Ministry conferred with the Attorney-General and Ministry of Law to assess whether Singapore would be ready to recognise a particular state and whether that state fulfils those conditions of being recognised as a state under international law, because it has repercussions on international treaties and other enforcement of court orders?

The second supplementary question is: with the Minister, we visited our officers in the Ramallah Representative Office and met participants from the ETAP batches and they are all very thankful for the Singapore Government's support. My question is: if Singapore recognises the Palestinian state right now, what kind of further support to the Palestinian Authority could Singapore provide which we have not already provided or are unable to provide right now?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Likewise, I thank the Member Mr Zhulkarnain for accompanying me. He was in Ramallah with me and when we had the discussions with the Palestinian Authority leadership, including their graduates of our ETAP programme.

Let me answer the second question first. We intend to continue all our assistance packages. We intend to also look for opportunities to do more. And quite frankly, the level of support that we provide to the Palestinian Authority will not depend upon whether or not there is formal recognition or not or, indeed, what happens even on the international stage. The Member will know, in fact, all Members will know, even without that formal status, the Palestinian Prime Minister has visited Singapore, our then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been to Ramallah, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and I and Second Minister Maliki have made numerous trips to Ramallah. So, the point I want to assure Members is that the interactions, the support and the assistance that we provide to the Palestinian Authority are not subject to the other political and diplomatic interactions.

Let me now come to the Member's first question. Actually, the formal recognition of statehood is not just a diplomatic or just a legal question. More specifically, in the case of Palestine as the situation currently subsists, you can make legal arguments both ways whether or not they fulfil the four criteria of the Montevideo Principles of Statehood. Permanent people define boundaries, effective government able to transact, enter treaties. You can make legal arguments both ways. Ultimately, we believe this is a political question and, therefore, it will be subject to the political considerations of the different entities that are trying to engage the Palestinian people.

In the case of Singapore, I said our principal consideration is that we have always believed in a negotiated two-state solution. We believe that the Palestinian people have a right to a homeland. We will continue to support the Palestinian people and the nascent Palestinian Authority, which, certainly, in the case of the PLO, constitutes, I would say, the key pillar of the current Palestinian Authority, which accepts Israel's right to exist and which has renounced terrorism. The Member was there in the room when I had these discussions with numerous Palestinian Authority leaders who all reaffirmed these points. So, we really have no problem with the Palestinian Authority.

But I think let us be frank about it. The situation in Gaza is far more problematical and the people whom we spoke to and engaged in Ramallah have tenuous or, in fact, almost zero input into the situation in Gaza. Nevertheless, let us be helpful, constructive and consistent. Let us not engage in performative gestures. Let us engage in constructive, direct assistance to the people of Palestine who need and, as the Member has noticed, appreciate our support.

Mr Speaker: Mr Leong Man Wai.

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Thank you, Speaker. I have two questions for the Minister. First question: what is our total official aid given to the Palestinians over the last 10 years? Second question, which is also one of my questions for written answer actually, is whether our country has made any defence sales, such as weapons or any other material that can cause harm to civilians, to Israel since 7 October 2023?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I do not have the total aid provided to Palestine over the past 10 years. As I said in my earlier answer, we obviously have the $10 million enhanced technical assistance package, we have scholarships. I have not computed the value of the scholarships and we intend to give more. We have delivered three tranches of humanitarian assistance so far, including deploying the Republic of Singapore Air Force to airdrop, I think, at least 20 tonnes, to Gaza in March. We are contemplating a fourth tranche.

I should also say that the fundraising from Singaporeans – and I want to give a special shout-out to Rahmatan Lil Alamin – I think we have collectively raised at least $15.5 million so far.

So, I am giving the Member figures which frankly are all within less than one calendar year. If the Member really wants the total for 10 years, he can submit a separate question later on.

Let me now deal with the Member's question on arms and let me give the Member a very careful and proper answer to this. Singapore complies strictly with our international obligations on international arms sales as well as UN sanctions and embargoes against any country, including submitting regular reports to the UN Register of Conventional Arms, which is a public record which you can access for yourself.

Apart from this, it is the established policy of the Government not to publicly divulge any details of defence sales for national security reasons.

Mr Speaker: Ms Mariam Jaafar.

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): Sir, I thank the Minister for his response on the consideration for when we would recognise Palestinian statehood and also further thank the Government for the very tangible things that they are doing to actually prepare their government for that. I have just one supplementary question.

Can the Minister share more on any diplomatic efforts that we are currently taking with international and regional bodies, like the UN, where a vote has been taken in favour of Palestinian membership; the European Union, where 10 out of 27 states now formally recognise Palestine and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), our closest neighbours to facilitate the realisation of the Palestinian state, a two-state solution, and to secure the legal and diplomatic rights of Palestine after this conflict is over?

Mr Speaker: We are approaching the end of Question Time. So, I request the Minister to address that and I see a few more hands. So, let us keep all the answers and questions short. Minister.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I thank the Member for the question. We are trying our best bilaterally on the basis of our relationship with Israel, our relationship with all the Middle East stakeholders, as well as consulting closely with our ASEAN partners and other partners around the world. But I just want to emphasise again: we are not the determinative factor. This is a long-standing conflict. I honestly do not know how and when it will end, and my focus is not to add fuel to the fire, but to be quietly, discreetly, constructively helpful to the people at a humanitarian level and to build up capacity, specifically with respect to the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: Mr Speaker, I will brief. In response to the Minister's answer to my supplementary question just now, I think we are dealing with a Catch-22 situation here. Most people will agree that an effective Palestinian government that governs the entire territory is still in the works. However, we are waiting for a viable and effective Palestinian state to exist before recognising it. It might never happen under current realities. The Minister said that one key principle guiding our actions is whether it can bring forward the peace process.

Therefore, does the Minister agree that Singapore's recognition of Palestine will help, even in some small way, to bring forward the peace process and negotiations, or will it hurt the process?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I know Mr Giam is sincere in this, but I would point out that even in his question, there are two different dimensions to it.

One, is there an effective Palestinian leadership that speaks for all and that has the mandate to negotiate? That is a separate question from is there a recognisable Palestinian state?

And without locking ourselves in prematurely, which may be unhelpful, I am saying that our long-standing position is that only a negotiated two-state solution will lead to a just, durable and comprehensive peace, and both sides must recognise the other's right to exist and must renounce terrorism.

Without those prerequisites, never mind the diplomatic and legal niceties, without the recognition and respect of the other's right to exist and without renouncing terrorism, these cycles of violence will recur. And there will be peroxisomes of wars, conflicts and horrendous humanitarian disasters which we are witnessing now.

So, I hope I have explained to everyone here, including the people, the principled position and the motivation behind our position. That is why we do not engage in polemic or in performative gestures, or making premature pronouncements – which frankly, would be unhelpful – and also, be humble enough to know, Singapore is a tiny city state far away. The Member has been there, so he knows the difficulty and complexities of the conflict.

Again, another worthwhile reminder for all of us in Singapore: this is fundamentally not our quarrel. This is a family quarrel in another family. The worst thing you can do in a family quarrel is to get involved unnecessarily or with ulterior motives, or to perform for an external audience.

So, let us remain calm, let us remain united, let us remain constructive and helpful, and hope even in this time of bleak, darkness, hope that peace will be given a chance in Palestine and that our Israeli friends and our Palestinian friends – brothers actually, the two of them – can live in peace with each other.

For Members who have accompanied me on my trips, I hope you have noticed that we actually have an unusual and unique privilege that we are welcomed by all sides. If you think about that, that is not something that you can take for granted. To be able to welcomed by all sides, including warring parties, requires a track record of principled, deliberate, careful diplomacy. It does not mean agreeing with everyone all the time, but even when we disagree with elements of other people's programmes, other people's agenda, they understand why we disagree and they know that we mean well and that we are good for our word and that we are helpful. So, that is the attitude by which the Government of Singapore approaches this most vexing of disputes, which has gone on for far too long.

Finally, let me again reiterate: an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and an immediate release of all hostages.

1.48 pm

Mr Speaker: Minister of State Sun Xueling, we are actually at the end of Question Time, but you wish to add something?

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]