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

It’s” often very concerning when you see humanitarian crises developing, when honest citizens suffer — infants, children, elderly people, relatives- sometimes as a side effect of military fight, sometimes directly targeted ,” said Mr. Lee.

According to him, Singaporeans are also strongly monitoring activities.

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

However, he added,” At the same time, we must act in a sensible manner for Singapore, maintaining relationships with both Israelis and Palestinians, and doing what we can to aid the civilian patients, particularly in Gaza but also in Israel.”

There is really no other option, Mr. Lee continued, adding that Singapore believes the two sides must coexist in harmony in the long run.

” Having a two-state solution is the only way to get there.” In other words, he demanded that both the Israelis and the Palestinians recognize their right to exist and to live in their own land, as well as the other way around.

” You have to strive for such a result. It appears to be really far away. In the past 10,15 centuries, it has not made a lot of advancements. But if you can’t move in that direction, horror and generations of violence will follow.

Both sides don’t seem to want that, in my opinion. How do I find there from here? Although it’s really challenging, I don’t believe we can afford to abandon that goal. “”

According to Mr. Lee, political questions have been raised on the matter, and there will be a thorough discussion when parliament meets in November.

He added that while Israel should exercise its right to self-defense and abide by international laws, the strike by Hamas against a sizable number of civilians there was” awful” and could not be justified.

The Israelis will be able to self-defense and hold themselves if we follow international rules. However, you must abide by international law in order to exercise that correct. And you must take all reasonable steps to reduce civilian casualties and tackle any charitable issues that may arise, said Mr. Lee.

And you must do this not only because the law is written that way, but also because it is in Israel’s best interest to avoid getting into a much worse position if you simply react physically, cathartically, and ineffectively. “”