Lee said that Singaporeans understand the republic’s stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Malaysia also made its position clear. Their situation is not the same as ours because we have diplomatic relations with Israel, but at the same time, we have friendly relations with the Palestinian authority,” he said during a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Singapore.

Lee pointed out that Malaysia has a strong relationship with the Palestinian authority but no diplomatic ties with Israel.

“So the diplomatic situation is not identical. But there’s no reason for that to cause any difficulty between Malaysia and Singapore,” he said in response to a question about the impact of the conflict on the relationship between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Anwar said what was important was Malaysia and Singapore’s common position on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“That (ceasefire) is very critical for now, and humanitarian assistance. This position is jointly endorsed by both countries and the majority of countries in the world.”

Over 9,000 people have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct 7. The vast majority of those who have died are Palestinians, including women and children.

Putrajaya has condemned the bombardment of Gaza and said it plans to donate some RM100 million to Palestinians affected by the war.

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