Humanitarian aid supplies for Gaza being loaded onto the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s C-130 aircraft in March. - Photo: Mindef
WASHINGTON: Singapore retains a sobering yet hopeful perspective on the escalating conflict in the Middle East and stands ready to extend more humanitarian assistance.
The prospects for a quick resolution to the spiralling conflicts are very low, but there is a growing determination to lean in to do more, said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Israel’s troops are reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of Lebanon after conducting heavy aerial strikes on Hezbollah headquarters in densely populated Beirut that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday (Sept 27) even as the Gaza war approaches its first anniversary on Oct 7.
The grim outlook notwithstanding, Dr Balakrishnan said he has seen a glimmer of hope in meetings with his counterparts at the UNGA.
He was speaking to Singapore media a day before he presents Singapore’s national statement at the 79th UNGA session on Sept 28.
“It’s clear that the war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and the wars in the Middle East are not going to end in the near future,” he said, addressing also the other ongoing global crises.
“I think all my counterparts in the Middle East are ultra-realistic that the prospects for a quick resolution are very, very low.
“However, I also detect from all of them a determination to lean in and do more, specifically in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. On the part of Singapore and Singaporeans, we will do more with our Middle East partners to deliver humanitarian assistance.”
This was top of the agenda when Dr Balakrishnan met the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Dr Mohammad Mustafa, as well as his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Egypt.
In July 2024, Singapore announced its fourth tranche of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, comprising 300 tonnes of halal-certified canned sardines and 1,000 tonnes of white rice. This brought Singapore’s total contributions for Gaza to more than $17 million worth of donations.
The timeline for peace remains uncertain but it is critical for the international community to “continue to persuade, cajole, make the case for all those directly involved in the conflict”, Dr Balakrishnan said.
The UNGA on Sept 19 rose to support a non-binding Palestinian resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 124-14, with 43 abstentions that included the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
Dr Balakrishnan underlined Singapore’s openness to participating in conversations that could enhance the position of small states in the global arena and leverage the society’s sense of compassion, when asked by The Straits Times if Singapore might take a lead in building a sort of “coalition of the healing” even as the zones of conflict expand.
“I would not say that Singapore should take the lead on it,” he said.
“But certainly as a small state that depends on international law, as a small state that needs to make common cause with other countries, especially small states, and as a society that has a deep sense of compassion, and especially among our young people and their willingness to get involved and to contribute positively, this is a concept that is worth exploring and I think we will discuss it with our partners, especially with our friends and partners in the Middle East and small states everywhere.”
The attitude of “keeping our eyes and ears open, our hearts open, our conscience engaged” is the way in which we need to approach the world with all its faults and anger and fissures, he said.
Beyond the immediate conflicts, Dr Balakrishnan also spoke of efforts under way to make the nearly 79-year-old UN better able to solve the many crises at a time of low trust between major powers.
On Sept 22, the UNGA adopted a “Pact for the Future” that aims to make the UN more effective on the global stage amid sharp criticism about its inability to stop wars and to hold to account those who violate its charter, like Russia, which invaded its smaller neighbour Ukraine in 2022.
Russia and Iran were among seven nations to oppose the pact, but could not prevent its approval during the two-day Summit of the Future (SOTF) convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to, as he put it, “bring multilateralism back from the brink”.
Dr Balakrishnan said: “In the lead-up to this process, up to last week, I was not at all sure that a decision would be made and consensus would be arrived at for the SOTF.” The way that Singapore’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Burhan Gafoor, was able to mobilise a significant proportion of the small states made a pivotal difference, he said.
“So, that is a glimmer of hope,” he said.
The UN, despite its obvious failings, remains indispensable, Dr Balakrishnan noted.
“Precisely because we live in such a fractured and difficult world, we need multilateralism,” he said, pointing out that it is still the only organisation with universal participation and legitimacy.
Its role in providing essential public goods is clear from the work carried out by its many organs including the International Court of Justice and the World Health Organisation among others.
“So rather than saying the UN is irrelevant; in fact, we need to double down on the UN,” he said. - The Straits Times/ANN
