Shanmugam calls WP’s Fadli’s suggestion to raise West Bank issues with Israel ‘absurd’, WP MP clarifies he was just calling for consistency
Senior Minister K Shanmugam has accused Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) Fadli Fawzi of sending “two different messages to two different audiences” over his calls for Singapore to raise concerns about illegal settlements in the West Bank during meetings with Israeli officials.
In a Facebook post on Thursday (5 Nov), Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (MHA) Mr Shanmugam said Mr Fadli appeared to be encouraging some members of the Malay-Muslim community to view Singapore’s national interests through the lens of race and religion.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
He also accused the WP MP of trying to portray the Government as “unprincipled and soft on Israel”.
Mr Fadli had made the remarks during a parliamentary exchange on Wednesday (4 Nov), arguing that Singapore should raise concerns about illegal Israeli settlements and settler violence in the West Bank when relevant during engagements with foreign counterparts.
The exchange followed a parliamentary question he submitted on 7 Oct about a meeting between Singapore and Israeli officials.
Fadli says Singapore should raise concerns about illegal settlements
In a Personal Explanation in Parliament on 4 Nov, Mr Fadli said Israeli settlements in the West Bank were illegal under international law.
He also described settler violence against Palestinian civilians as a serious threat to international security.
Mr Fadli said it would have been relevant for Singapore to reiterate its position on the settlements and its concerns about settler violence during the meeting with Israeli officials.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
He noted that an Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, had named two officials in the delegation, Hanamel Dorfman and Rafael Engel, whom he said had been linked to the settler movement building illegal outposts in the West Bank.
The Aljunied GRC MP also argued that Singapore should apply the same principle consistently when engaging with all countries.
He said Singapore should raise issues relevant to its concerns, commitments and national interests, rather than limiting such discussions to Israel.
Mr Fadli added that Singapore should maintain a “Whole-of-Government approach” in upholding international law and a rules-based international order.
Shanmugam calls suggestion “absurd and novel”
In Parliament, Mr Shanmugam questioned whether Mr Fadli was suggesting that every ministry should raise international law issues whenever it met foreign counterparts, even when those matters were not directly relevant to the ministry.
He described such an approach as “absurd and novel”.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
“The reality is obvious,” he said. “The member should have realised from the questions that his position was absurd. Instead of that, he walks in further and doubles down.”
The Senior Minister said Singapore’s overall position towards other countries was determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Cabinet, while individual ministries handled matters relevant to their respective areas.
He added that Singapore’s international relationships had to be viewed through the lens of national interest, rather than race and religion.
Mr Fadli rejected the suggestion that his position was motivated by race or religion, and further emphasised this in a Facebook post on Wednesday (4 Nov).
He said he was not proposing that Singapore raise every bilateral or foreign policy issue at every meeting.
Instead, he maintained that concerns should be raised when they were relevant and in Singapore’s interests.
Source: Fadli Fawzi on Facebook
Shanmugam says Fadli appears to be sending two messages
In his Facebook post on Thursday (5 Nov), Mr Shanmugam said Mr Fadli’s statement in Parliament was “flawed on several counts”.
He added that the WP MP appeared to be sending different messages to different audiences.
“With the Malay Muslim community, he tries to get some in the community to look at our national interests through the prism of Race and Religion,” Mr Shanmugam wrote.
He also said Mr Fadli was trying to portray the Government as “unprincipled and soft on Israel”.
Source: K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook
“However, this won’t work with the wider public, and a different picture is presented to the public at large,” he added.
“Singapore’s international relationships must be viewed through the prism of national interest. Not through the prism of race and religion.”
Mr Fadli had earlier said Singapore should uphold its position on international law consistently, impartially and objectively.
Exchange arose from questions about meeting with Israeli officials
Mr Fadli submitted his parliamentary question on 7 Oct, asking whether Singapore had discussed illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank during a recent meeting with Israeli officials.
He also asked whether Singapore had requested that the meeting remain confidential and, if not, why a correction order under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was not issued against Haaretz.
The news site had reported on 7 Sept 2026 that an Israeli delegation comprising representatives from the Israel Prison Service and National Security Ministry had made a “secret visit” to Singapore.
Source: Haaretz website
The report also claimed that the death penalty was discussed during the meeting. The MHA subsequently disputed this claim.
In his written reply, Mr Shanmugam explained that meetings between MHA and its foreign counterparts were generally confidential, unless parties requested that they be made public.
Also read: Parliament passes amended WP motion, opposition MPs reject final version
Parliament passes amended WP motion, opposition MPs reject final version
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Featured image adapted from MDDI Singapore on YouTube.
