‘Sensible’ for Singapore to maintain relations with Israel and Palestinians, provide aid to civilians: PM Lee

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“It’s always very worrying when you see humanitarian crisis developing, when innocent civilians suffer – infants, kids, old folks, grandparents – sometimes as a side effect of military conflict, sometimes directly targeted,” said Mr Lee.

People in Singapore are following the events closely, he said.

“Particularly, I think the Muslim population in Singapore are very agitated about it because there’s a certain feeling of empathy and compassion, particularly closely felt for the Palestinian cause,” said Mr Lee, adding that it is “completely understandable”.

“But at the same time, we also have to do what is the sensible thing to do for Singapore – to maintain relations with both the Israelis as well as the Palestinians and to do what we can to provide humanitarian support for the civilian victims, in Gaza especially, but also in Israel,” he said.

In the long term, Singapore believes that the two sides have to live in peace, Mr Lee said, adding that “there is really no alternative”.

“The only way to get there is to have a two-state solution. In other words, for the Palestinians to acknowledge that Israelis have a right to exist and to have a nation, a state, a country, and the Israelis to acknowledge that the Palestinians have a right to exist and to live in their own country,” he said.

“You have to work towards such an outcome. It looks very far off. It has not made a lot of progress in the last 10,15 years. But unless you can make progress in that direction, we are doomed to generations of bloodshed and tragedy.

“I don’t think either side really wants that. How to get from here to there? That’s very hard, but I don’t think we can afford to give up on that aspiration.”

Members of Parliament have filed questions on the issue, and there will be a full discussion when parliament sits in November, said Mr Lee.

He also said that the attack by Hamas against large numbers of civilians in Israel was “horrendous” and could not be justified, but Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, should comply with international law.

“If we go by international law, the Israelis will have the right to self-defence, to defend themselves,” said Mr Lee.

He added: “But in exercising that right, you have yourself to comply with international law … and you have to do all you can to minimise civilian casualties and address humanitarian concerns which are going to arise.

“And you have to do this, not just because the law is written that way, but also because from Israel’s own interest, if you just respond emotionally, cathartically but in a way which doesn’t help to solve a problem, you may get yourself into a much worse situation.”

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