Singapore has ordered the Israel Embassy to remove an "insensitive and inappropriate" social media post that might jeopardize security in the city-state.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the embassy compared references to Israel and Palestine in the Holy Quran, adding that documents and maps "link the land of Israel to the Jewish people as the indigenous people of the land." The post has subsequently been deleted, according to the Time.
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Speaking to the media on March 25, Singapore’s Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam criticized the post as "completely unacceptable" and stated that he was quite angry when he learned about it, reports The Straits Times.
“The post is wrong at many levels. First, it is insensitive and inappropriate. It carries a risk of undermining our safety, security and harmony in Singapore,” said Shanmugam.
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While Singapore has a Chinese majority, the multiracial country also has a sizable Muslim population. It also has Muslim-majority neighbors such as Indonesia and Malaysia, which have witnessed rallies in favor of the Palestinian cause, it said.
Singapore has regulations in place to protect against local threats and foreign influence, which helps to promote ethnic and religious peace in the country.
“The Israel Embassy respects religion and racial harmony in Singapore,” the embassy stated in response to media inquiries, adding that it had already taken action against the person who had made the social media post.
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The incident occurred days after Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan met with Benjamin Netanyahu during a business visit to Israel.
There, he repeated Singapore's position that "Israel's military actions in Gaza have gone too far." Last Monday, Singapore executed its first humanitarian airdrop into Gaza, delivering food and other necessities.