'Where's our conscience?': Former president Halimah Yacob slams Gaza death toll of over 50,000

Former President Halimah Yacob has slammed Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza, highlighting the disregard for international law.

Recognition of 13 settlements in West Bank, death toll in Gaza reaching above 50,000

Halimah made her remarks in a Facebook post on Mar. 24, which shared screenshots of articles regarding Israel's actions in both locations by The Straits Times and the BBC.

One of the screenshots pertained to Israel's security Cabinet approving a plan to recognise 13 settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as independent.

The second screenshot was about the death toll of Palestinians reaching above 50,000 during Israel's military offensive.

She wrote:

"First, force the real homeowners out of their houses to live in the garden sheds. But then the sheds are obstructing your view to the fabulous beach fronts. Kick them out again. Don’t care where they go."

The former president added:

"Who cares about international law prohibiting this. So what legal and moral authority does the world have to call out territorial transgressions in other parts of the world? Where’s our conscience? Inhumanity anywhere affects humanity everywhere."

Here is her post in full:

Not the first time

Halimah has spoken up about the war in Gaza over the past couple of years, expressing her sorrow at the plight of the Palestinians affected by the war and condemning civilian casualties.

She previously slammed U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal about how the U.S. would "level" the Gaza Strip, "take over" and rebuild the territory, with the Palestinians living in the area being relocated to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, perhaps permanently.

Ceasefire broken

Israel launched a deadly wave of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Mar. 18, reportedly killing over 400 Palestinians, according to AP News.

The airstrikes took place two months after Israel and Hamas agreed on a temporary ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip as part of a three-phase agreement designed to put a permanent end to the Israel-Hamas war.

The first phase saw Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages in return for the release of nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended more than two weeks ago on Mar. 1, but both parties failed to reach an agreement on terms for the second phase, which would see the release of nearly 60 remaining Israeli hostages and the end of the war.

Hamas has demanded an end to the war and a full withdrawal of the Israeli military as conditions for the release of the remaining hostages.

However, Israel said it would not stop the war until it has dismantled Hamas's leadership and military capabilities and released all of the hostages.

What are the 13 settlements about?

According to the Times of Israel, the settlements were built many years ago illegally, without the approval of Israel's cabinet.

The decision to recognise them as independent was pushed through by Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in his additional role as minister in Israel's defence ministry and means that the government is now allowed to provide budgets for each of the new settlements.

He was quoted as saying:

"We are continuing to lead a revolution in the normalisation and formalisation of settlements. Instead of hiding and apologising, we are raising the flag, building and settling. This is another important step on the way to de facto [Israeli] sovereignty in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]."

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had pointed during a Jul. 22, 2024 speech that Singapore's position on the Israeli settlements is long-standing and has been clear and consistent.

"We view Israel's settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law.

These settlements, in fact, make it much harder to arrive at a negotiated two-state solution."

Top image via ABC News (Australia)/YouTube