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SINGAPORE \u2013 Fadli Fawzi\u2019s questions on a meeting between Singapore and Israeli officials seek to present a picture to the Malay\/Muslim community that the Government is unprincipled and soft on Israel, said Senior Minister K. Shanmugam.<\/p>\n
The Workers\u2019 Party MP made \u201cabsurd suggestions\u201d on how the Government should engage with its foreign counterparts, Shanmugam said in the House on Nov 4.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what this question and this subsequent explanation are all about: getting people to view our international relationships through the prism of race and religion. That is just wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fadli, in response, rejected Shanmugam\u2019s characterisation, and said his questions were not motivated by race and religion. \u201cThis is primarily an issue about how Singapore can uphold its commitments to international law consistently,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The pair were discussing questions that Fadli, who represents Aljunied GRC, had filed for Parliament\u2019s October sitting about an Israeli delegation\u2019s meeting with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials<\/span><\/a> in Singapore.<\/p>\n Shanmugam took issue with Fadli\u2019s intentions in asking the questions, and said Fadli was sending two messages to two different audiences: one to the general public to present that the WP is focused on national interests, and another to the Malay\/Muslim community that the Government is soft on Israel.<\/p>\n Fadli had asked in October if Singapore had discussed with Israeli officials how to address illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank.<\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s position, reiterated in <\/span><\/a>August<\/span><\/a>, is that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. It has also urged the Israeli government to halt settlement expansion plans.<\/p>\n Fadli had filed them following an article published on Sept 7 by Israeli daily Haaretz that said the officials discussed the death penalty at the May meeting.<\/p>\n Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister, said in a written reply to Fadli in October that this was false and that the discussion focused on operational and security-related issues.<\/p>\n It did not extend to broader foreign policy matters, he added.<\/p>\n Shanmugam, in his response then, asked Fadli in return if he believed the MHA should use such engagements to raise broader concerns about the policies or conduct of foreign counterparts.<\/p>\n He also asked Fadli to clarify if this principle should apply only to Israel, or consistently to all countries that engage with MHA.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that is the member’s position, the Government would be interested to understand how he proposes that such an approach would serve Singapore\u2019s overall interests,\u201d he said then.<\/p>\n Most of the back-and-forth focused on the WP MP\u2019s position on Singapore\u2019s bilateral relationships, and whether the opposition party\u2019s stance was that the city-state should raise all issues at all meetings.<\/p>\n Responding to Shanmugam\u2019s October questions in a personal explanation at the end of question time, Fadli said MHA should raise concerns about policies or conduct that relate to security and law enforcement \u201cas and when relevant\u201d when engaging foreign counterparts that may be implicated in such issues.<\/p>\n Settler activity and illegal territorial expansion in the West Bank, especially settler violence, are grave violations of international law and threats to international security, he said.<\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s operational and technical cooperation in law enforcement and security matters must be conducted in the context of its overall national interests and fundamental principles, which includes its commitment to international law, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven this context, I believe that it would have been relevant to clearly reiterate at this meeting Singapore\u2019s principled position that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, and our deep concerns about settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n Fadli added that Singapore should address issues that are relevant to its concerns, commitment and interests, and these should be applied consistently to all countries with which MHA engages.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is also my belief that when engaging with foreign counterparts, Singapore should maintain a whole-of-government approach in upholding our commitment to international law and a rules-based international order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Shanmugam, in response, said Fadli had not answered questions on whether his approach extended to all bilateral issues.<\/p>\n This suggestion \u2013 that every ministry must raise \u201call possible issues of international law\u201d when meeting Israel or any other country, and all possible bilateral issues \u2013 \u201cwould certainly be novel\u201d, Shanmugam said.<\/p>\nApproach international law with \u2018enlightened self-interest’<\/h2>\n