Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Written Replies to Parliamentary Questions on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 6-7 August 2024

QUESTION

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in respect of the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice regarding Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories (a) how does this ruling impact Singapore's diplomatic relations and policies concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict; and (b) what steps is Singapore taking to support international efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

REPLY

          MFA will provide a consolidated response to this Question, and related questions on this same topic, at the sitting on 7 August 2024.

QUESTION

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether there are plans to deliver further tranches of humanitarian aid into Gaza or the refugee camps in the surrounding areas to alleviate the humanitarian crisis there; and (b) whether the Enhanced Technical Assistance Programme (ETAP) and other capacity building and assistance schemes between Singapore and the Palestinian Authority are continuing despite the ongoing conflict.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion issued on 19 July 2024, what is the Government’s assessment of the (i) potential impact and (ii) obligations arising from the Advisory Opinion on all member states including Singapore.

REPLY

          As announced on 22 July 2024, Singapore is working with Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates to deliver a fourth tranche of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This will comprise of approximately 300 metric tonnes of canned sardines and 1000 metric tonnes of white rice. In addition, Singapore is contributing to-date over S$17 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. This includes the S$8.1 million raised by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) for UNRWA, and the S$2 million that RLAF raised for UNICEF.

2        Singapore’s capacity building assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) has continued apace. For instance, 15 Palestinian officials from the PA’s Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology were in Singapore for training in June 2024 under the Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP). The study visit was a follow-up to my meeting with PA Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa in Ramallah in March 2024, where he asked for Singapore’s assistance in digitalisation and civil service training. Three Palestinian officials have also been awarded scholarships at our universities this year to study accountancy, international political economy, and info-communications security. We will press on with efforts to help equip PA officials with the know-how to develop their capabilities.

3           The Parliamentary Question for Written Reply by MP Ms Nadia Samdin has been addressed in my reply to MP Mr Christopher de Souza on 7 August 2024.

QUESTION

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion issued on 19 July 2024, what is the Government’s assessment of the (i) potential impact and (ii) obligations arising from the Advisory Opinion on all member states including Singapore.

REPLY

           The Parliamentary Question by MP Ms Nadia Samdin has been addressed in my reply to MP Mr Christopher de Souza on 7 August 2024.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

7 AUGUST 2024