Israel's ambassador to Singapore apologized for sensitive Facebook post

Singapore: Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam revealed that Israel's Ambassador to Singapore, Eliyahu Vere Hazan, has apologized for a Facebook post that referenced insights from the Quran, stating that there was archaeological evidence supporting the claim that Jewish people were the indigenous inhabitants of the land.

During questioning in Parliament by Member of Parliament Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim regarding the matter, Shanmugan stated that Ambassador Hazan expressed deep regret about the incident and acknowledged that it was inappropriate to post such a message when he met him recently. Shanmugam also clarified that the post was not authorized by Ambassador Hazan.

Shanmugam appraised that the returning of the officer responsible for the post to the home country also had been promised by him. The incident occurred through a Facebook post on March 24, wherein the embassy compared mentions of Israel and Palestine in the Quran. The post asserted that Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Quran while Palestine is not mentioned at all. It also claimed that archaeological evidence, including maps and documents, links the land of Israel to the Jewish people as the indigenous inhabitants. The post has since been removed.

The minister stated that the police got a report on the incident and, after consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, concluded that "no further action was to be taken." Shanmugam emphasized that the actions of the Israeli embassy are covered by the principle of sovereign immunity, as reported by Channel News Asia during the session on Wednesday.