The Israel-Hamas War has been raging for over three weeks, with no end in sight.

Singapore's politicians, and not just those in government, have been reacting to the news, largely trying to ensure that Singapore's longstanding positions on international rule of law is clear, if not adhered to. Their messages also seem to emphasise that emotions should not boil over at home. 

With Parliament sitting on Nov. 6, Singapore's politicians have submitted questions on the conflict, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong saying that the government would speak on the matter.

Ahead of that significant statement, Mothership has consolidated the major statements, speeches, and interview quotes from the past three weeks.

Initial MFA statement and PM Lee, Pres. Tharman send condolences to Israel

The Israel-Hamas War started after the Oct. 7 attack throughout southern Israel, beginning with a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, then a terror attack by Hamas militants that killed over 1,400 people, mostly civilians, with a further 200 more taken hostage. 

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement on Oct. 7, condemning the rocket and terror attack, calling for an immediate end to the violence, and for all sides to do their utmost to protect the safety and security of civilians.

On Oct. 8, PM Lee wrote a letter of condolence to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also strongly condemning the attacks, murder and abduction of innocent civilians.

Such acts, he said, could not be justified by any rationale whatsoever, extending condolences to the government and people of Israel on behalf of the Singapore government, and that Israel would remain “strong and united to overcome the difficult challenges ahead”.

Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also wrote a similar letter to his counterpart, Israel's President Isaac Herzog.

Shanmugam’s Oct. 12 comments

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam spoke to the press on Oct. 12 about the conflict, saying Singaporeans were deeply divided, and the divide would deepen as the conflict continued.

He said that Hamas's “massive terrorist attack” must be condemned unequivocally, but condemnation did not prevent sympathising with the plight of the Palestinians.

Shanmugam warned of the possibility of terror attacks linked to the crisis, as terrorist groups would look to exploit such dissent in Singapore.

Singapore had a lot of mutual respect and trust between religious and racial groups, but it was something that should not be taken for granted.

He believed that Israel would respond very strongly, but its response had to be consistent with international law and rules of war, a sentiment that would remain consistent throughout government communications on the crisis.

Israel by then had begun to retaliate by using airstrikes on targets located throughout the densely populated Gaza Strip, especially in the northern half, where Hamas is believed to have holed up underneath civilian buildings.

MFA Statement of Oct. 16 on importance of complying with international law

The MFA issued a statement on Oct. 16, almost a week after the beginning of the crisis.

By that time, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip had significantly escalated, with Palestinian deaths reportedly reaching 2,750.

The Israeli government also imposed a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off food, water, and electricity.

MFA’s statement opened by saying that Hamas had deliberately targeted civilians and perpetrated unjustifiable “abhorrent acts of terror”, called for the release of all hostages, and acknowledged Israel's right to self-defence.

But the statement also said Israel was obligated to comply with international law, and had to “do its utmost” to protect the safety and security of civilians. 

MFA urged both sides to abide by “international humanitarian law”, and to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. 

MFA also said that the Singapore government was contributing S$300,000 to humanitarian aid via the Singapore Red Cross.

PM Lee, Pres. Tharman send condolences to Palestinian leaders after hospital explosion

On Oct. 17, an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital reportedly killed between 200 to 500 people being treated at or sheltering at the hospital.

Both the Palestinian authorities in Gaza (which is governed by Hamas) and Israel blamed different culprits for the explosion.

On Oct. 18, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, PM Lee, and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan sent letters to their counterparts in the Palestinian authority, expressing their condolences for the victims of the explosion.

While all three referenced the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Tharman’s letter noted the situation had “arisen from Israeli military operations in response to the attacks by Hamas on Israel” on Oct. 7.

The letters reiterated Singapore's long-standing position that the conflict could only end through a negotiated two state solution consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The letters also called for all parties to protect the safety and security of civilians, as well as to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to affected civilians in Gaza.

United Nations vote

On Oct. 27, Singapore voted in favour of a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian truce and a ceasefire.

Singapore's permanent representative to the United Nations and ambassador Burhan Gafoor said that Singapore voted for the resolution despite two "glaring and significant omissions".

The first omission was the failure to mention Hamas' role in the Oct. 7 terror attacks.

The second omission was the lack of acknowledgment for Israel's legitimate right to defend its citizens and territory in compliance with international law. 

“As with every country, Israel has a right to defend itself from heinous terrorist attacks, to protect its people from senseless violence and to keep its territory secure.”

This is a point that brings Gafoor’s statement in line with a similar one he had made regarding the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. 

However Singapore still supported the resolution because of its stance on being an advocate and defender of international law, the UN charter, and the rules-based multilateral system, including international humanitarian law; as well as reiterating its call for a negotiated two-state solution.

The resolution reaffirmed obligations to respect and uphold international law, and supported calls for immediate and unrestricted access to humanitarian Aid.

Media statements by PM Lee

PM Lee has also spoken to the press about the conflict on the periphery of other events.

On Oct. 20, PM Lee spoke to the press while in Saudi Arabia about Singapore's long-term position that both Palestinians, Israelis have to right to exist in two states.

He said that Hamas' attack could not be justified by any rationale, but while Israel had a right to self-defence, it had to do all it could to minimise civilian casualties, and address humanitarian concerns that arose.

Speaking on Oct. 24 at the Internal Security Department’s 75th anniversary, PM Lee also spoke about the differences that emerged as a result of various crises or tensions, including the Israel-Hamas War.

"All these differences are a reality that we must recognise and accept. They remind us to continue watching racial and religious relations carefully because misunderstandings and frictions can still arise, and cause serious problems if not properly handled,"

Such differences must be recognised and accepted, reminding Singaporeans to watch racial and religious differences carefully, and warning of serious problems if misunderstandings and frictions are not properly handled. 

On Oct. 30, PM Lee and Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke at a joint press conference after the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat.

PM Lee said that he did not believe the crisis should affect Singapore-Malaysia bilateral relations. Anwar also emphasised the similar positions Malaysia and Singapore took on the humanitarian crisis, despite their different relations with Israel.

Consolidated statements by Shanmugam

Shanmugam spoke at a community drive for donations to support humanitarian aid in Gaza on Oct. 28th, saying that in Singapore “everyone comes together to help” regardless of race or religion.

He also touched on the topic on Oct. 29,  saying that Singapore’s UN vote was “consistent” with Singapore’s 50-year-old position.

Saying that he had spoken to 200 leaders from Singapore's Malay-Muslim community, he warned them of misinformation and disinformation on the government's position and that "a lot of things are not known to the ground".

He further explained Singapore's position on the two-state solution, saying that Singapore had spoken and voted against "illegal settlements by Israel" as they were contradictory to international law, as well as Jerusalem being Israel's capital; while always supporting Israel's right to exist.

Shanmugam also explained that public rallies were disallowed for public order reasons, cautious about how many groups might also want to hold rallies on the subject. He also said Singapore did not want to "import foreign arguments".

Online, people were entitled to express their views, as long as it did not turn into hate speech or incite violence.

Shanmugam previously spoke about the Israel-Palestine issue in June 2023, at the Middle East Institute's annual conference.

Back then, he said that Singapore has always supported a negotiated two-state solution, and while the Palestinian issue had dropped off the top line of news, it had the potential to explode very quickly.

Opposition and backbench statements

Singapore’s two other parties in parliament, the Workers’ Party and Progress Singapore Party, have also released statements on the Israel-Hamas War. 

The WP statement on Oct. 18 was critical of Israel's military actions, saying they were marked by “overwhelming disproportionality” and disregarded the Geneva Convention, the UN Charter, and other international legal instruments. 

The WP said it supported Singapore’s “long-held position that a two-state solution consistent with UN Security Council resolutions is the only viable path to a durable, just and comprehensive resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine”. 

The WP cautioned against discriminatory actions against Jews and Muslims as a result of the conflict, and called on Singaporeans to “play an active part to prevent it from happening” in Singapore. 

The WP called on Israel to reject “collective punishment”, cease military operations in Gaza, and allow for humanitarian aid, and on Hamas to immediately return its hostages by Hamas, and both sides to de-escalate. 

PSP's statement on Oct. 31 said it “unequivocally condemns” violence against both Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and called on Hamas to immediately release its hostages. 

It also called on Israel to comply with international law, and also said it supported Singapore’s two-state solution position. 

Parliamentarians from the governing People’s Action Party (PAP) have also filed a motion in parliament, asking about the government’s approaches on humanitarian aid, war crimes, as well as condemnation of acts of terror, amongst other things.

PAP MP Vikram Nair said on Oct. 24 that he had filed a motion in parliament to discuss the matter, sponsored by MPs Alex Yam and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim. 

PAP MPs Wan Rizal and Zhulkarnain also said publicly that they have filed parliamentary questions on the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

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Top image via Glassdoor