Singapore has imposed financial sanctions on four Israelis and barred them from entering the city-state, its foreign affairs ministry announced on Friday, accusing them of “egregious acts of extreme violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The ministry said actions committed in the West Bank by Meir Mordechai Ettinger, Elisha Yered, Ben-Zion (Benzi) Gopstein, and Baruch Marzel were unlawful and had jeopardized the prospects for a two-state solution in Palestine.
The targeted financial sanctions and entry bans were applied “with immediate effect.”
“As a firm supporter of international law and the two-state solution, Singapore opposes any unilateral attempts to change facts on the ground through acts which are illegal under international law,” the ministry said.
All four individuals have been previously sanctioned by the European Union. Ettinger, Gopstein, and Yered have also been sanctioned by Canada. Some have also been sanctioned by the US.
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The move came amid a recent surge in Jewish nationalist crime and settler violence in the West Bank. Apart from the most extreme cases, the perpetrators have generally not faced legal consequences. According to Channel 12 news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special meeting on Thursday with senior security officials to discuss the latest violence.
In its statement, Singapore’s foreign ministry called on the Israeli government “to restrain acts of settler violence and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Ultranationalist Jewish activist Baruch Marzel outside his Hebron home, with the H1 sector behind him, December 2019. (Yardena Schwartz)
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced in parliament in September that leaders of Israeli settler groups would be sanctioned.
He also chided Israeli politicians who had spoken about annexing parts of the West Bank or Gaza Strip, and said the controversial E1 settlement project near Jerusalem would fragment the West Bank.
Apart from imposing sanctions, Balakrishnan said Singapore would also recognize a Palestinian state under the right conditions.
Lehava chairman Benzi Gopstein seen after a court hearing at the Court for Local Affairs in Jerusalem, on March 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Ettinger is the grandson of the late, extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, and a well-known hilltop youth activist who has long faced allegations of participation in violent attacks against Palestinians. Hilltop youth are known for establishing illegal outposts throughout the West Bank and sometimes clashing with IDF soldiers, Palestinians and the left-wing Israeli activists trying to protect them.
Yered is considered the unofficial spokesperson of the Hilltop Youth. He previously served as the spokesperson for far-right MK Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit. He was also suspected of killing a Palestinian in 2023.
Gopstein is the leader of the Lehava anti-miscegenation group and was targeted in a round of settler sanctions announced by the US in 2024.
Marzel, an American immigrant to Israel who lives in Hebron, has long been involved in far-right politics and was a close associate of Kahane, who called for the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel before he was assassinated.
Alleged head of a Jewish extremist group Meir Ettinger appears in the Magistrate’s Court in Nazareth Illit, August 4, 2015. (AP/Ariel Schalit)
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area and saying the settlements provide security.
While Singapore and Israel have shared close diplomatic and military ties since the former gained independence in 1965, the city-state in 2024 voted in favor of numerous resolutions expressing support for the UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held separate meetings with envoy Balakrishnan, encouraging strong bilateral ties with the Southeast Asian island, according to their offices.
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