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Israel, Hamas must take concrete steps to end conflict: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE — Weighing in on the Gaza situation, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in Parliament yesterday that both Israel and Hamas are at fault and they must exercise political will and take concrete steps to end the conflict.

SINGAPORE — Weighing in on the Gaza situation, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in Parliament yesterday that both Israel and Hamas are at fault and they must exercise political will and take concrete steps to end the conflict.

Mr Shanmugam was responding to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) on Singapore’s position on the crisis and what it can do to alleviate the situation. “The international community can make statements and try to bring some sense, but ultimately the actors themselves must want peace,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam added: “Let’s hope that the latest 72-hour ceasefire holds and hopefully this will develop into something more.”

While he criticised Hamas’ strategy of using civilians as shields, he said the rising number of Palestinian civilians killed in Israeli attacks was tragic and extremely distressing.

“If innocent civilians are targeted as a direct act, that would be a serious violation of international law and we believe that this should be pursued under international fora,” said Mr Shanmugam, adding that Singapore has made it clear that it believes that Israel’s response is disproportionate.

Mr Shanmugam said the Republic is supportive of the two-state solution. Last year, at the United Nations General Assembly, Singapore voted for all Palestinian-related resolutions. “That is as public a support as you can get,” he said.

Responding to Workers’ Party MP Pritam Singh’s question on whether Singapore could send an “even stronger message to Israel both publicly and privately”, Mr Shanmugam said: “Our relationship with Israel is not any deeper than with many other countries. In fact, other countries have much more leverage over Israel. We are a small country far removed from Israel. We have a good relationship with Israel as we have with the Palestinian National Authority, and several other Arab countries and many others.”

He added: “The position we take on this issue is a principled one, which is we abhor the violence; we say that both sides should stop it.”

Mr Shanmugam noted that Singaporeans are donating to the cause. In addition, the Government has pledged US$100,000 (S$125,000) to international aid efforts and is channelling the funds through the Singapore Red Cross. “Money is not the issue; political will is,” he said.

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