‘This is concerning,’ Report of Singaporeans in Israeli military draws response from ex-MP Amrin Amin

SINGAPORE: After a report in Al Jazeera on members of Israel’s military who held more than one passport, including two Singaporeans, former Member of Parliament Amrin Amin wrote in a Feb 18 (Wednesday) Facebook post, “This is concerning and needs clarification.”

Mr Amrin, a lawyer by profession, added that Singaporean citizens and permanent residents are not allowed to serve in the military of another country without proper authorisation. He also quoted the government as saying that Singaporeans should not fight in the wars of other countries, and that the law does not allow dual citizenship for adult citizens, although individuals under the age of 21 may have two passports.

“I’m confident our authorities will handle this thoroughly and fairly. If the report isn’t accurate, I hope that will be clarified. Either way, transparent findings are key to maintaining public confidence in Singapore’s fairness and integrity,” he wrote.

Mr Amin had served as MP for Sembawang GRC from 2015 to 2020 and had been Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health.

Foreign nationals in the Israeli military

The Al Jazeera report, published on Feb 15, focused primarily on the Western nationals who had been part of the Israeli army during the war in Gaza that began in October 2023, saying that questions have arisen regarding the legal accountability of foreigners for alleged war crimes against the people of Palestine.

However, the report included a list of the 126 countries whose citizens were part of Israel’s military, with data provided by Hatzlacha, a non-governmental organisation that provides emergency medical service. The NGO had obtained the data through Israel’s Freedom of Information Law.

The data was shared by Israel’s military for the first time.

In response to questions regarding the matter, a representative from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told CNA, “MHA does not have any substantiated information at this point that any Singaporean is/was fighting as part of the IDF.”

Data from Hatzlacha showed that there are more than 50,000 soldiers in the Israeli army who have more than one citizenship. The United States has by far the largest number, 12,135, followed by France (6,127), Russia (5,067), Germany (3,901), and Ukraine (3,210).

The release of the data is significant, for the possibility of the identification and prosecution of foreign nationals for their part in the war in Gaza, in which at least 72,061 people have reportedly been killed due to military actions. These have been characterised by rights groups as crimes against humanity. /TISG

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