While Singapore voted in support of the United Nations (UN) resolution calling for a humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27, 2023, the resolution left out two areas in principle, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said in a media doorstop on Oct. 29, 2023.

According to Shanmugam, the two areas, which were highlighted previously by Permanent Representative of Singapore to UN Burhan Gafoor, are:

1. The terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 must still be condemned, and it cannot be justified;
2. While Israel's right to self-defence needs to be noted, that right to self-defence cannot include indiscriminate killing of civilians, and it must be done in accordance with international law.

Shanmugam was responding to questions from the media at a doorstop interview on the sidelines of an inter-faith joint humanitarian relief effort organised by Humanity Matters

The UN resolution, which Shanmugam described to be "consistent" with the position Singapore has taken for over 50 years, was approved by the 193-member UN General Assembly through a vote of 120 in favour, 14 against, and 45 abstentions.

"Strong" desire amongst Singaporeans to help people in Gaza

In response to a media question on the significance of humanitarian events organised by Singaporeans, such as the one organised by Humanity Matters, Shanmugam said that this shows that there is a "strong desire" amongst Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, religion, to help the people in Gaza.

"You look at who is contributing: Taoists, Missions, Buddhist Temples, Hindu Volunteers, Muslim organisations, corporations. Of course, the majority of those involved are Chinese. This is Singapore. This is [what is] unique about Singapore — everyone comes together to help, even though they know most of the help goes towards Muslims in Gaza," he added.

Here, Shanmugam also referred to a recent fundraising campaign that was organised by grassroots organisations, religious organisations, harmony circles, and community partners in Nee Soon.

The collected funds will go into supporting affected communities in Gaza.

@mothershipsg Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam was speaking at the launch of Nee Soon Fundraiser for Gaza victims on Oct 28. #tiktoksg #sgnews #israelpalestine ♬ original sound - Mothership

According to Shanmugam, the campaign collected a "substantial sum of money" within a few days and just under S$30,000 on Saturday for the cause.

"Within a month, I'm sure the amount will grow further," said the minister.

Shanmugam had "good session" with Malay-Muslim community leaders

Shanmugam also revealed that he had "a very good session" with over 200 Malay-Muslim community leaders at a closed-door meeting on Oct. 28.

During the meeting, he explained to the community leaders that there had been a lot of "misinformation and disinformation going around on what is happening and the government's position" because "a lot of things are not known to the ground".

According to Shanmugam, one question that was discussed during the session was the meaning of the two-state solution and Singapore's position.

"We have said and have voted against illegal settlements by Israel — we said that it was contradictory to international law. We have voted against Jerusalem being the capital of Israel. But, at the same time, we have always also supported Israel's right to exist, whereas Hamas wants to wipe Israel off the map," said the minister.

Shanmugam shared that the community leaders understood that there are a number of perspectives on this issue, and they were "very appreciative" and had "a better picture" of the situation.

He added that the government will try to do the same for the Singapore community as a whole, so that they will understand "what is really happening, why and what is our position.

Rallies at Hong Lim Park disallowed for "public order reasons"

When asked to comment on online posts that advocate for public rallies, Shanmugam said that the rallies are disallowed for "public order reasons," and Singapore does not want to "import foreign arguments" here:

"If we allow one group, we have to allow other groups. And different religious groups wanted to hold rallies. Some of them made public their views, [while] some of them haven't made public their views. Some Muslim organisations wanted to hold rallies. Some Christian organisations also wanted to hold rallies. We took the decision that we will not allow rallies by anyone."

With regard to online posts, the minister shared that people are entitled to express their views as long as they don't turn into hate speech against other religions and races or incitement of violence

Nonetheless, Shanmugam recognised that there is "a strong need and desire" in the community to do something to help the people in Gaza, and he believed there are ways Singaporeans can contribute in their own way and in a constructive manner.

Besides the inter-faith joint humanitarian relief effort organised by Humanity Matters on Sunday, he also pointed to Singapore's vote on the UN resolution and statements given by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as examples.

Government takes foreign interference in Singapore politics seriously

Shanmugam also responded to a media question on the posts published by the Israeli embassy that could be construed as advocating for its cause in Singapore.

While stating that he did not want to comment specifically on any ambassador or embassy at this point, the minister said the government does not take "any foreign interference" in Singaporean politics lightly, and this position is "quite clear".

Shanmugam shared that the government expects any ambassador or embassy to "respect the way things are done in Singapore". He also revealed that the government tracks closely what foreign missions do and say here in Singapore.

"Whenever necessary, we will speak firmly to them to make our position clear. We have done so before, and if need be, we will do so again," he added.

Top images via The United Nations & K Shanmugam Sc/Facebook