The Singapore government has told the Israeli embassy to remove a Facebook post from Sunday (24 March) that Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam called an “astonishing attempt to rewrite history”.
Allegedly, the post in question quoted the Quran and stated that archaeological documents identify Jewish people as native to Israel.
Mr Shanmugam has slammed the post as “wrong at many levels” and believes it will endanger communities in Singapore.
The Israeli embassy later deleted the post the same day.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the official Facebook page of the Israeli embassy in Singapore made a post comparing mentions of Israel and Palestine in the Quran, the Islamic holy text, on Sunday (24 March).
Source: Israel in Singapore on Facebook
The post reportedly said: “Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Quran. On the other hand, Palestine is not mentioned even once.”
It also claimed that archaeological evidence — such as maps, documents, and coins — connects the land of Israel to the Jewish people as its indigenous population.
The embassy removed the post later the same day.
On Monday (25 March), Singapore’s Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam said during a media doorstop that he was “very upset” when he learned of the post.
Source: CNA on YouTube
Upon learning about it, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) quickly informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The latter then told the Israeli embassy to remove the post immediately.
Mr Shanmugam slammed the post, saying that it is “completely unacceptable” and “wrong at many levels”.
“First, it is insensitive and inappropriate. It carries the risk of undermining our safety, security and harmony in Singapore,” he explained.
“We look after the safety of everyone in Singapore – majority and minorities”, he said. This includes Jews and Muslims.
He added that such posts can endanger the Jewish community in Singapore, as the anger from the post could “potentially spill over into the physical realm”.
Mr Shanmugam went on to say that the post is an “astonishing attempt to rewrite history”.
Source: CNA on YouTube
“It is wrong to selectively point to religious texts to make a political point. Even worse, in this current situation, for the Israeli embassy to make use of the Quran for this purpose.”
He added: “The writer of the post should look at UN regulations, see if Israel’s actions in the past few decades have been consistent with international law, before trying to rewrite history.”
However, the Home Affairs Minister said that Singapore did not intervene with the post because of that.
Instead, the Government stepped in due to the potential consequences it may have on the different communities in Singapore.
Singapore typically does not intervene with statements from foreign embassies out of respect for the fact that they represent other sovereign countries.
“But where it affects the safety and security of people in Singapore, the peace and harmony that we enjoy, we do and we will intervene.”
Separately, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also addressed the matter, echoing Mr Shanmugam’s message.
“It is highly inappropriate to refer to sacred texts to make political points,” Dr Balakrishnan said in a media statement.
“We have made this clear to the embassy which has taken the post down.”
Also read: ‘Gone too far’: Vivian Balakrishnan calls for ceasefire in Gaza during meeting with Israeli leaders
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Featured image adapted from CNA on YouTube and Israel in Singapore on Facebook.
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