Balakrishnan also said that in spite of calls by some people to do so, Singapore would not sever diplomatic ties with Israel and recall its ambassador, as these moves would not resolve the situation.

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“Ceremonially breaking ties with countries every time we disapprove of their actions, in my view, that’s not constructive,” he said.

“Whatever we say or do diplomatically will not change the situation on the ground nor, I will add, will it influence Israel to suddenly change its policy, or will it necessarily immediately reduce the suffering on the Palestinians.”

Instead, it is important to maintain good ties with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, he said.

Balakrishnan on Thursday also stressed the importance of domestic unity and to not allow external events to affect Singapore’s cohesion.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas had resulted in a humanitarian crisis that was “appalling”, with far too many innocent civilians lost or maimed, said Balakrishnan.

Singapore condemned Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians and kidnapping of hostages on October 7 as these were blatant and abhorrent acts of terrorism.

“To excuse terrorism now for whatever reason, in fact, puts Singapore at risk,” he said, as terrorism was a “clear and present threat” to Singapore.

Singapore also recognised Israel’s right to self-defence, not because it is taking sides, but because “we will assert Singapore’s right to self-defence if we ever face a situation like that”.

He said however that Israel’s military response has gone “too far”.

“For avoidance of ambiguity, I’m going to repeat that line: Israel’s military response has gone too far.

“The catastrophic situation in Gaza demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the unbearable suffering of the civilian victims and to enable humanitarian assistance to reach them, immediately. We are also concerned that there may be a potential ground offensive into Rafah will worsen the situation further,” he said.

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In response to a question raised by Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim on how Singapore was helping to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Balakrishnan said Singapore and Singaporeans had contributed generously to humanitarian assistance there.

Since November, about a month after the latest round of violence started, Singapore has sent two tranches of life-saving aid for civilians in Gaza.

In addition to the third tranche of aid, Singapore will continue its long-standing support for the Palestinian Authority’s capacity building efforts, through the S$10 million Enhanced Technical Assistance Package.

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Balakrishnan reiterated that Singapore had maintained good ties with the Palestinian Authority, with a representative office established in Ramallah in 2022.

“We do all this because we look forward to the day when there’s peace, and that there is a functioning capable Palestinian state, and that the Palestinian people get the peace and progress which they so richly deserve.”

Balakrishnan said that as a small country, it was in Singapore’s interest to maintain ties with as many countries as possible.

He noted that none of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council had severed diplomatic ties with Israel.

Balakrishnan reiterated Singapore’s belief that a negotiated two-state solution was the key to long-lasting peace, though it might be challenging to reach that.

“Israel has a right to live peacefully within secure borders. But the Palestinian people also have a right to a homeland. This is why back in 1988 – I bet most people are not aware – but back in 1988, we welcome the proclamation of a Palestinian state,” he said.

Singapore also has consistently opposed moves that undermine a two-state solution, he added.

“We have voted in support of every UN resolution that calls on Israel to rescind unilateral measures to change the status of Jerusalem.”

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While he was heartened that many Singaporeans felt deeply about the situation in Gaza, Balakrishnan said foreign policy could not be driven one way or another by sentiments.

“Foreign policy must be based on understanding our core interests and acting consistently in accordance with the principles that safeguard our independence, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, and our security,” he said.

In the future, there would be many foreign policy issues that were sensitive, he added.

Hence, it was key that Singapore did not allow external issues to sow division domestically.

“Otherwise … we’ll be vulnerable, we will not be independent, we will not have autonomy,” he said.