PM Wong meets Palestinian Authority minister, says S'pore remains committed to supporting Palestinian people

Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong met with Palestinian Authority Minister of Finance and Planning Estephan Salameh.

Salameh is in Singapore on a working visit from Feb. 22-25, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, to reaffirm warm relations between the Palestinian Authority and Singapore, as well as Singapore’s continued support for the Palestinian Authority's capacity-building efforts.

While in Singapore, he has also attended a Feb. 24 sitting of Parliament, and met several members of Cabinet, including Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

"Continue to be helpful"

PM Wong posted about his meeting with Salameh on social media, saying that Singapore remained committed to supporting the Palestinian people, as well as strengthening institutional capacity “as they worked towards eventual statehood”.

They discussed how Singapore “can continue to be helpful in this process.”

They met during a break in the Feb. 24 session of Parliament, which Salameh sat in on along with his delegation and was introduced by Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng.

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Salameh was hosted to dinner on Feb. 22 by Vivian, as well as the Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Before dinner, Vivian brought Salameh on a tour of Singapore’s cityscape, as well as taking the Palestinian Christian Salameh to Singapore’s oldest Christian church, the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

During their time together, they discussed developments in the Palestinian Territories, including in Gaza.

Vivian reiterated Singapore’s support for a negotiated two-state solution, consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

He also affirmed that Singapore will continue to support international relief efforts for Gaza and contribute in whatever way it can to aid its long-term reconstruction.

They also discussed how Singapore can continue to support the Palestinian Authority in its efforts to strengthen governance and public administration, particularly through Singapore’s Enhanced Technical Assistance Package, a S$10 million programme.

Vivian and Salameh previously met in November 2025 while Vivian was visiting the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah, where he presented US$500,000 (S$652,000) to the World Food Programme on behalf of the Singapore government to support humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Top image via Lawrence Wong/Facebook & Vivian Balakrishnan/Facebook