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| Our PM on his visit to Israel |
Netanyahu's trip came after Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year visited Israel as part of a tour of the Middle East. Netanyahu met first with President Tony Tan Keng Yam where the two discussed joint cooperative projects dealing with innovation and technology in Africa, as well as initiating direct Singapore- Tel Aviv flights. Singapore reportedly has also turned into a base for Israeli firms doing business in other parts of Asia.
Singapore's ties with Israel run long and deep. Shortly after Singapore was declared independent of Malaysia in the mid-1960s, it sought Israel's assistance in establishing its military, after being turned away by several other countries. I too was a recipient of that training, having served in the military from 1976 -1978.
Apart from the existing good relationship between these two countries, Israel and Singapore share many similarities too :
Both countries are tiny, surrounded by large neighbors
Both countries have overcome what they lack in natural resources to be a thriving modern metropolis.
Both Israel and Singapore are beacons of democracy, & have zero tolerance for terrorism
Both countries practice meritocracy & allow people of all faiths, race and culture to live in peace inspite of their differences
Both countries understand their vulnerabilities and the need to invest heavily in a robust defense to meet any potential threat.There are many more shared ideals between Israel & Singapore. We at SWIFT aim to strengthen this already strong relationship between Israel & Singapore by creating opportunities to share a meal with jews living in singapore & visitors and to support Israel within our capacity such as when we organised a gathering to support Israel's right to defend itself during the height of the 2014 conflict with Gaza.
