Singapore's Assessment of 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how does the Government assess the viability of the Gaza peace plan in advancing a two-state solution; and (b) what role can Singapore play to contribute constructively, including the possible recognition of a Palestinian state under suitable conditions.

I believe Mr Gerald Giam1 has also filed a question, similar topic, for a subsequent Sitting. I will try to address the issue in this reply and also be happy to take supplementary questions. And if that is adequate, the Member can withdraw his Parliamentary Question that was filed for a later session.

Singapore welcomed the agreement that was reached on 9 October 2025 by Israel and Hamas on the first phase of the Trump peace plan. I need to commend the incredible achievement of President Trump, his negotiating team, which includes Mr Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner and also, the invaluable part played by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

This is a critical plan and it is not just the details of the plan or how many points there are. But the fact is that America remains the indispensable superpower with real leverage and is willing to apply that leverage on the warring parties to arrive at where we are today. So, the first phase is now being implemented and in particular, that means a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, at least, those who are alive. And this is crucial, this is important, this is the first step of what will, in fact, be a long and arduous journey to peace. And we should have no illusions. Many things can still go wrong.

The next few essential steps are a surge in humanitarian assistance – and I will explain later what Singapore will do on that front – and then, the establishment of some kind of Transitional Authority. I would also expect and hope that there will be some United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution to provide an international legal framework for these arrangements. And then, the Palestinian Authority, which as part of that plan, has committed to reform. And I will also explain what we will do to assist the Palestinian Authority on its journey and, on its journey, which I would like to add, ultimately, to a two-state solution, which Singapore supports.

So, now let me turn to what we are doing and are hoping to do more of on the humanitarian front.

In the past two years, we have been working very closely with the Egyptian Red Crescent, with the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organisation. We are also working with the World Food Programme; and we are also working with a few Egyptian hospitals, in fact, the medical team from the National University Hospital was just there a few weeks ago. We have also deployed as and when there has been hospital ships in the area to provide medical treatment to people who need help.

I think the immediate acceleration of humanitarian assistance now, is the fact that I hope the over land routes will open. That is crucial if humanitarian assistance is going to be delivered at the scale necessary. So, we will certainly look forward to doing more with our partners in the region and I would add, we also expect the Israelis to do their part to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance over land through the crossings into Gaza.

It is premature to discuss what we will do with the Transitional Authority, because that is still inchoate at this point in time. But what I would say, is that, in the short term, in the immediate term, we certainly want to do more with the Palestinian Authority.

We have already been working with them for years – capacity-building programmes, technical assistance, more recently, scholarships. And all this with a view to enhancing the capacity, to exercise effective administrative oversight and to exercise the levers of government in their eventual statehood. And I would expect to increase the tempo of our interaction with the Palestinian Authority so that they can fulfil this ambition. Again, we will need time and we will stand ready to respond to the Palestinian Authority's assessment of its own needs and particularly, I hope its ability to exercise governance in Gaza as well, an area in which it has not been able to exercise governance for two decades.

So, I just want to give this House the assurance that we are watching developments very closely and we will do our best within the limits and constraints of distance and the fact that we are very small, but we happen to have a multiracial, multi-religious united society who is open-hearted, generous and willing to do, in a sense, more than our fair share to help people in need in this very dire set of circumstances.

Thank you, Sir. And thank you to the Minister for the comprehensive reply. When I submitted this Parliamentary Question, the 20-point peace plan was yet to be accepted by Hamas and Israel. We are glad that the plan has now been accepted and the hostages have been released.

I would like to ask the Minister if Singapore would consider helping to rebuild Gaza by setting up a clinic to offer treatments to the residents of Gaza and send a medical team to Gaza right now, in the interim. And two, will the Minister also consider setting up a school, for example, in Gaza, to educate the young that have very little opportunity to access quality education? And thirdly, will Singapore consider sending a small peacekeeping team to provide logistic support to the bigger efforts led by the US? Of course, I am suggesting this when the situation is more stable.

Mr Speaker, I have explained that we have, in fact, already been contributing on the medical front in the last two years. We look forward to doing more with our partners. But it depends very much on access, on security and on the needs.

I would make this point from a medical perspective. At this stage, you are not dealing with the immediate acute trauma. In fact, you are dealing with difficult sequelae like amputations, the need for prosthesis, the need for rehabilitation, the need to deal with psychological and emotional trauma. So, it is a different set of of specialties that are necessary. And my point again is depending on the needs and depending on our resources, we will do our part. That is on the medical side.

The exact locations of deployment are again dictated by exigencies on the ground. Where are the facilities in which our medical staff can make a contribution? And to that end, I am sure this House will agree, we also want to pay attention to the safety of our staff on the ground.

On schools, well, I think we should be cognisant that there are very few Arab fluent speakers in Singapore. But to the extent that we can work with "train the trainer" programmes, and in the long run, there is going to be a need for education, and vocational education and training, which will help enhance their ability to acquire the skills which are necessary for the long-term economy.

So, these are things again and I see where the Member is coming from, but let us be realistic and approach this in a step wise fashion.

It is premature to talk about peacekeeping troops. As I said, I would wait first for a UN Security Council resolution. I hope there will be one and we will assess very carefully what role we can contribute. It would be premature for me to make any commitments at this stage.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. And I thank the Minister. I had a supplementary question on humanitarian aid assistance and I am heartened to hear that Singapore will continue to work with the international bodies, and at the same time maintain the safety of our humanitarian workers there.

My question is on the President Trump brokered peace deal. While it covers the phased withdrawal and also ceasefire, it leaves the questions of Palestinian statehood and the governance in Gaza unresolved. Does the Government view this as a credible step towards a genuine two-state solution? And then, as a follow-up question to that, I agree with the Minister that it may be too early or premature to tell whether this peace plan would be enduring and effective. But if it does lead to peace and stability for both the Israelis and the Palestinian people, we have to give credit where credit is due. Would Singapore nominate or support President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize?

The 20-point plan, as the Member has said, is a great achievement. It is a first and essential step – but not sufficient to achieving peace, security, development, hope and even ultimately a two-state solution.

Let me come back to the basics of where Singapore stands. Singapore believes the Palestinians have a right to self determination. Singapore believes there should be a negotiated two-state solution. I think I just delivered a Ministerial Statement and we spent two or more than two hours on this subject a month ago. So, our position on that remains unchanged.

Does this agreement help? I think this agreement sets the stage where it is possible to imagine a negotiated two-state solution can emerge. But I also want to remind everyone this has been one of the most intractable conflicts, not just of the last century, but going back a very long time. And whilst we are all cheered by the current positive news, I think we should be very realistic and psychologically be prepared that this will be a long and arduous journey.

For Singapore, we should maintain our consistent principled approach. We should continue to have effective bridges and access to all the stakeholders. We should, wherever possible, within the limits of our capability, be constructive, reliable partners for peace for development and long-term reconciliation between two peoples who have been through unimaginable horrors in the last two years.

Sir, I thank the Minister for his answer. Sir, will Singapore seek a seat for an Eminent Person from Singapore on the Board of Peace, which will oversee the administration of Gaza? This board includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Minister has said that things are still inchoate, but would he agree that if we wait until it is fully formed, we would have missed the opportunity to get a seat on the board.

Sir, I believe our best contribution could be civil administrators. This is where we have a clear comparative advantage. It is a unique opportunity to contribute expertise and experience in nation building, and we could help build peace in the Middle East, and I dare say, even the wider world, given the global nature of this conflict.

Has the Ministry considered going beyond the regular Singapore Cooperation Programme, which typically invites selects Palestinian civil servants to attend training in Singapore, and instead send our senior civil servants or retired civil civil servants there to set up the administrative frameworks and structures and train the civil servants over there?

Mr Speaker, we are not campaigning to be on the Board of Peace. But let me take a step back and remind everybody. We are Singaporeans. Our approach is always to do more, say less, be quietly helpful and constructive work from the ground up. So, that is why we are not asking to sit on any boards, but we will step up our long-standing cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. And I would also remind you that it is not just under the Singapore Cooperation Programme by which we engage the Palestinian Authority.

We have been having regular meetings at senior levels. Palestinian Prime Minister has been here. Our Prime Minister has been there. I have been there several times. We will customise specific programmes that are relevant for them, but they will take the lead on which programmes they're interested in and how Singapore can best address their needs.

So, I hope Members of the House will agree with me that this understated, more discrete, behind-the-scenes, helpful, respectful approach is more appropriate for us in Singapore.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Minister, for your response. I just want to talk a bit about humanitarian aid. The Minister mentioned that multiple countries and non-governmental organisations are already providing aid and providing relief. So, how does Singapore ensure our aid compliments rather than duplicates international efforts? And have we identified specific gaps in the international response where Singapore's niche support can add the most value?

And lastly, can the Minister explain why sustaining our humanitarian and diplomatic engagement in Gaza matters to Singaporeans, not as an act of compassion, but as a reflection of our identity as a small nation committed to peace and multiracial harmony?

There are many in international aid agencies involved and I would highlight first the UN itself, the UN's Work and Relief Committee, which has been doing work there for decades, in fact. I have mentioned the World Food Programme. I would also take reference from the hopefully soon-to-be established Transitional Authority.

It is for people on the ground to decide what is needed and to coordinate, and then we fit in. It is not for us to impose our idea of how aid should be delivered. So, again, I hope Members understand my position of not trying to be pushy, and not trying to aim for positions on boards, and not trying to excessively draw attention, but just to quietly and effectively work in the background.

The other supplementary question is why do we do this? And we do this because first it is an expression of Singaporeans' innate generosity and compassion. Second, I believe in fact, that Singapore does have some significant resonance in the Middle East. I have shared with this House before that when a Singapore delegation goes there, the diversity of the delegation – multi-religious, multiracial – has special resonance there. Because there you have an example of conflicts over land, but turbo-charged by appeals to religious and other tribal instincts.

The example that a Singapore, united, cohesive, in the midst of our great diversity, and able to stand on our own two feet and then, to generously help enhance other people's capacity to also stand on their own two feet, is something which I believe, does also reflect well on our society.

I think it reflects the basic decency, goodwill and generosity that exists in the hearts of all Singaporeans. So, that is why we do it.

But having said that, I would also add: there are many other trouble spots in the world. And right now, if you look at what is happening in Sudan, or even if you look at the sequela of what has happened in Syria, in Yemen, there are many other trouble spots, on which in due time, I think people will also hope that Singaporeans respond to accordingly.

Minister, 12 nations, including France and Japan, have set up an emergency coalition for the financial sustainability of the Palestinian Authority to support the effort to stabilise the Palestinian Authority's finances and ensure the continued viability of the two-state solution. In light of the Gaza Peace Plan, will Singapore now consider joining them in making financial contributions to the Palestinian Authority, and if not, why not?

I think it is premature, but if the need arises and if there is a specific programme, I will certainly be happy to share it with the House.