Singapore announced Monday it will impose targeted sanctions on leaders of Israeli “settler groups” and expressed its intent to recognize a Palestinian state under certain conditions, Reuters reported.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, speaking before parliament, criticized Israeli politicians who have spoken in favor of annexing parts of Judea and Samaria or Gaza.
“We call on the Israeli government to cease settlement construction and expansion,” he said, referencing the E1 development project, which connects Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim, and which he claimed fragments the territory and undermines prospects for a two-state solution.
“We oppose ongoing attempts to create new facts on the ground which undermine the prospects for a two-state solution,” Balakrishnan added. He did not specify which leaders would be targeted, saying details of the sanctions would be released at a later date.
Balakrishnan also emphasized that Singapore’s recognition of a Palestinian state was not a matter of “if” but “when,” contingent on what he called an “appropriate constellation” of factors. These include the establishment of an effective Palestinian Arab government that recognizes Israel’s right to exist and unequivocally renounces terrorism.
“Ultimately, to resolve this long-standing conflict in a comprehensive, just and durable manner, there needs to be a negotiated settlement which results in two states, one Israeli (and) one Palestinian, with their peoples living alongside each other in peace, security and dignity,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
His comments come amid a blitz of recognitions of a Palestinian state by a host of countries.
Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal on Sunday recognized a Palestinian state" on Sunday.
France and several other states make a similar announcement at a confab on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday. Malta had said it would join those countries.
Singapore, which has maintained close diplomatic and military ties with Israel since its independence in 1965 and opened an embassy in Israel in 2022, voted in favor of multiple UN resolutions in 2024 supporting recognition of a Palestinian state.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Rosh Hashanah in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)