SINGAPORE: The Singapore government has told the Israeli embassy here to take down a “completely unacceptable” Facebook post on Palestine, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.
On Sunday (Mar 24), the official Facebook account of the Israeli embassy published a post containing claims comparing mentions of Israel and Palestine in the Quran.
The post said: “Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Quran. On the other hand, Palestine is not mentioned even once.
“Each and every archeological evidence – maps, documents, coins, link the land of Israel to the Jewish people as the indigenous people of the land.”
The post was deleted later the same day.
On Monday, a spokesperson from the Israeli embassy said that the post had been made without approval and that the person responsible has been punished.
“The Israel Embassy respects religion and racial harmony in Singapore,” the spokesperson said. “We have already taken action against the relevant person.”
The embassy cited “security reasons” for not revealing the person’s name or role.
“However, we assure you that the social media post that had gone up was done without the necessary approvals and the person responsible has already been harshly punished and will face internal disciplinary measures,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Shanmugam told reporters on Monday he was “very upset” when he became aware of the post.
He said the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) had informed the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which told the Israeli embassy that the post had to be taken down immediately.
“The post is wrong at many levels,” Mr Shanmugam said. “First, it is insensitive and inappropriate. It carries the risk of undermining our safety, security and harmony in Singapore.
“We look after the safety of everyone in Singapore – majority and minorities” including Jews and Muslims, he said.
Pointing out that Jews in Singapore have “very little concern for their safety and security”, he said posts like this can “inflame tensions and can put the Jewish community here at risk”.
“The anger from the post can potentially spill over into the physical realm.”
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