I don't take Haaretz very seriously: SM Shanmugam, WP's Fadli Fawzi clash over meeting with Israeli officials

Senior Minister K Shanmugam and Workers' Party MP Fadli Fawzi engaged in a heated exchange in parliament on November 4th, over a recent meeting between Singapore and Israeli officials. Fadli had previously questioned Shanmugam about the meeting, specifically asking whether Singapore addressed illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank during the discussion.

Haaretz reported on the meeting and alleged that discussions about the death penalty were also had. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refuted these claims, stating that no correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was issued against Haaretz as the reporting was not factual.

Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, clarified that Singapore holds regular discussions with international counterparts on security and law enforcement matters, and that the particular meeting focused on operational and security-related issues. He further stated that broader foreign policy matters are addressed through appropriate foreign policy channels like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

In response, Fadli argued that policy concerns should be raised in engagements with countries involved in such violations, citing the Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a grave violation of international law. He maintained that Singapore should raise concerns about such policies and conduct as and when relevant when engaging with countries involved.

Brief written by urgent.news from Mothership's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.