Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on UN General Assembly Resolution on “Admission of New Members to the United Nations” Concerning Palestine’s Application for Membership in the UN 10 May 2024

1 Singapore has just voted in favour of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly that expresses support for the admission of Palestine as a UN member. We did so after serious and careful consideration. I would like to explain why Singapore voted in favour of the resolution.

2 Palestine first submitted its application for UN membership in 2011 but this application did not succeed. In November 2012, Palestine was accorded the status of a Non-Member Observer State at the UN. On the 2^nd of April this year, Palestine sought reconsideration of its membership application.

3 According to the UN Charter, admission to UN membership will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. This means that the Security Council has to first make a positive recommendation.

4 On the 18^th of April this year, a UN Security Council resolution that would have recommended that Palestine be admitted to UN membership was vetoed. Earlier today in New York, the matter was brought before the General Assembly through a resolution which called on the Security Council to reconsider its decision.

5 I will now set out Singapore’s considerations for our vote in favour of this resolution.

6 We have always supported a negotiated two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Both Israel and Palestine have the right to exist and to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries free from threats or acts of force.

7 The two-state solution is foundational to resolving this longstanding conflict. In 1947, the General Assembly Resolution 181 divided the Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish States. In 1967, the UN Security Council Resolution 242 called for the withdrawal of Israel’s armed forces from territories that were occupied in the Six-Day War. In 1973, the UN Security Council Resolution 338 called for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 242. Subsequent resolutions have referred explicitly to a “two-state solution”. Unfortunately, these resolutions have never been implemented.

8 The UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 continue to undergird Singapore’s position, which in fact is shared by most other countries, that a negotiated two-state settlement consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions is the only viable path for achieving a comprehensive, just, and durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

9 In this context of a two-state solution, we support the right of the Palestinian people to a homeland. In 1988, Singapore welcomed the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s proclamation of the State of Palestine. At that time, the Palestine National Council had expressed support for an international conference in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Most importantly, the PLO explicitly rejected terrorism and recognised the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security. We saw these moves as progress towards a durable solution for this longstanding conflict.

10 The PLO’s position enabled the Oslo Accords to be reached with Israel in 1993 and 1995. These Accords provided for Israel’s recognition of the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. It led to the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority and an interim arrangement for governance of the West Bank and Gaza. Even though we understood that the negotiations would be very challenging, there was some promise for progress towards a two-state solution. Unfortunately, developments in the three decades since the Oslo Accords have failed to bring us any closer to a resolution of this longstanding conflict.

11 Meanwhile, we have focused over the years on providing the Palestinian Authority, or PA for short, with support in its preparation for statehood. We have committed S$10 million for a dedicated technical assistance package for capacity-building programmes for the PA. We have trained more than 700 Palestinian officials since 2013. This includes fully-funded scholarships for Palestinian officials to pursue post-graduate studies at our universities. We appointed a Non-Resident Representative in 2016. We established a Singapore Representative Office in Ramallah in 2022 in order to enhance the provision of our technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority. Our Prime Ministers have exchanged visits, with PM Lee Hsien Loong visiting Ramallah in 2016 and then-PM Dr Mohammed Shtayyeh visiting Singapore in 2022. We remain committed to providing even more support to the PA under the new Prime Minister Dr Mohamed Mustafa whom I met two months ago.

12 Sadly, over the years, the prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine have become even bleaker. Negotiations on a two-state solution have stalled. Extremist views have gained ground on both sides. Public support on both sides for the two-state solution has diminished. The illegal building of settlements in the West Bank has continued unabated.

13 The request to reconsider Palestine’s application for UN membership has now come at a particularly difficult moment. The heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas on the 7^th of October last year which brutally killed around 1,200 Israelis and other nationalities, with the taking of more than 200 hostages, many of whom remain in captivity today. These attacks cannot be condoned or justified by any history of injustice, enmity, or conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and Singapore has repeatedly condemned these terrorist attacks. In response, Israel has exercised its legitimate right of self-defence. But Israel’s military actions have gone too far, and caused far too much human suffering and destruction. The death of around 35,000 Palestinians and the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza is deeply tragic. The result of these events has been outrage on both sides, a breakdown of the fragile trust between both peoples, and the shattering of any sense of security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

14 Ideally, Palestine’s UN membership should have been considered when hostilities were ceased, when all civilian hostages were released, and when Israelis and Palestinians were back at the negotiating table. But frankly, we are now so far from those conditions that Singapore and many other countries had to consider how our vote today would help lay the groundwork for an end to hostilities that would hopefully lead to an enduring peace. Or at the very least a return to the negotiating table to talk about how to get there. The only viable solution – difficult as it may be now amid the rage, the disillusionment, the anger and the distrust from both sides – is to revive efforts towards a two-state solution.

15 This is why Singapore voted in support of the General Assembly resolution calling for the Security Council to reconsider its decision and to recommend the admission of Palestine as a UN member. As a friend of both Israel and Palestine, we in Singapore are deeply grieved by this state of affairs. Singapore’s vote reflects our heartfelt desire to see both parties resume direct face to face negotiations in good faith. At this time of darkness, the status quo is not enough, and we need a reset, a restart of diplomatic efforts. We therefore joined the rest of the international community in calling on leaders of both sides - show leadership, demonstrate courage, and take the tremendously difficult but essential first steps towards a two-state solution. Regardless of the difficult circumstances, it remains that only a negotiated settlement consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions is the only viable path to a comprehensive, a just, and durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

16 However, in supporting this resolution, let me reiterate that terrorism has no place in any process leading to a stable and peaceful political solution. Groups, including Hamas, that continue to deny Israel’s existence or refuse to renounce terrorism have no place in a future Palestinian state. For these reasons, Singapore will not work with any Palestinian group, including Hamas, that denies Israel’s right to exist or refuses to renounce terrorism against it.

17 In conclusion, we are calling on both Israelis and Palestinians to take that bold but necessary step – return to the negotiating table, seek a two-state solution. Both sides have a right to exist and both peoples have a right to live in peace and dignity within secure borders. Both sides have legitimate rights and shared responsibilities, and difficult compromises must be struck in the months and years ahead through direct negotiations. We certainly do not underestimate these challenges but we have to try. The alternative is to have endless repeated cycles of violence and retribution. As a friend of both Israel and Palestine, we urge both sides to avoid violence, to reject violence and to resume negotiations towards a two-state solution with the help and the support of the international community. All Singaporeans wish for peace to be upon our friends in Israel and Palestine.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

10 MAY 2024