SINGAPORE – An officer from the Israeli embassy who cited the Quran in a Facebook post about Palestine on March 24 will be sent home.

The post claimed that Israel was mentioned 43 times in the Quran, that Palestine was not mentioned even once, and that there was archaeological evidence the Jewish people were the indigenous people of the land.

It was taken down that evening.

On May 8, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam told Parliament that the Israeli ambassador met him recently and apologised for the post, saying it was wrong, not authorised, and that it would never happen again.

Mr Shanmugam said the police received a report on the post and consulted the Attorney-General’s Chambers about it. They decided that no further action would be taken.

He said: “I pointed out to (the ambassador) that embassies are entitled to have their point of view. But where what has been said affects Singapore, in this case the harmony and safety within Singapore – especially the security, as well, of our minority communities, we have to step in.”

Mr Shanmugam was responding to a question from Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC) on whether further action would be taken with regard to the post and if the person responsible enjoyed diplomatic immunity.

Mr Shanmugam said the Israeli embassy’s actions are covered by the principle of sovereign immunity, and foreign embassies and diplomatic staff in Singapore enjoy diplomatic immunity under the law, unless they waive it.

This means they enjoy immunity from Singapore’s criminal jurisdiction.

Mr Zhulkarnain had asked supplementary questions on how the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can ensure that similar posts can be taken down quickly, and how future cases can be dealt with sensitively to manage tensions and emotions.

Mr Shanmugam said there are numerous laws that can deal with such posts by the public, but that for an embassy, the starting point would be that it has sovereign immunity.

He said this means a direct order cannot be made for an embassy to remove a post, but there are other ways to handle such a situation.

He said: “In these cases when an embassy puts up a post, I think the way to handle it is the way we handled it. Talk to the embassy... but if they refuse to take it down, then there are the usual diplomatic steps that one country can take vis-a-vis another country, but you’ve got to assess the nature of the infringement, as it were, and how you calibrate it.”

Mr Shanmugam mentioned the case of former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu, who was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Singapore in 2009.

The minister said: “Short of taking action if the embassy waives immunity, there are other steps that can be taken under various pieces of legislation as well.”

He said there has been a divide in the reaction between the Malay/Muslim community and the Jewish and Christian communities over what is happening in Gaza. He said deeply held feelings can also result in words or actions that offend other communities.

Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, including women and children.

Israel retaliated, resulting in more than 34,000 people dying in Gaza, which drew international condemnation.

Mr Shanmugam said that between Oct 7, 2023, and March 31, 2024, the police received 43 reports regarding alleged offensive remarks or actions aimed at members of the Jewish or Muslim communities in Singapore.

He said the Government will intervene against acts that can affect Singapore’s social harmony.

Mr Shanmugam also spoke about protests and how tensions have boiled over in many countries.

He noted how in Berlin, Germany, pro-Palestinian protesters have clashed with the police, and at universities in the US, exchanges between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine student protesters have become increasingly acrimonious, with students facing harassment and assault.

“What we see happening in many places overseas is that the protests have often become violent,” he said.

“They may start off well intentioned, led by honest, idealistic people... but what happens is that when there are these protests, they often get infiltrated, as we can see from elsewhere, by others with their own agendas. These others, who infiltrate these protests, often try and engineer violence.”

The minister said those who engage in offensive or violent conduct here are a very small minority, and the authorities are working actively on strengthening Singapore’s social compact by building mutual trust and understanding across ethnic and religious communities.

He said MHA and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth facilitate platforms where senior religious and community leaders engage with one another frequently.

“Most Singaporeans understand the importance of safeguarding our social cohesion, and the value of our mutual respect and tolerance,” he said.

“Even where views on the conflict have differed, people in Singapore have been relatively measured and rational in the way we have approached the issues.”