SINGAPORE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins a two-day official visit to Singapore today, a reciprocal visit following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s trip to the Middle Eastern country last year.
He is the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit the country.
During his visit, Netanyahu will call on President Tony Tan Keng Yam and meet with Lee after an official welcome ceremony at the Istana, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sunday.
The statement also said Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will host a lunch for Netanyahu. Lee will host an official dinner for his counterpart at the Istana.
Netanyahu is accompanied by his wife, Sara Netanyahu, and a delegation of senior government officials, said the MFA.
Last April, Lee made an official week-long trip to the Middle East that included visits to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The visit was aimed at reaffirming Singapore’s good relations with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), and underscore Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity building efforts of the Palestinian people.
Lee had invited his Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian counterparts to visit Singapore. While in Israel, Lee met Netanyahu, the leader of the Israeli opposition Isaac Herzog and former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.
He urged Israel and the Palestinian Territories to resume direct negotiations towards a “just and lasting two-state solution”, and expressed gratitude to Israel in helping Singapore build up its defence capabilities.
Multiple efforts have been made to broker an agreement on a two-state solution, in which Israel would exist peacefully alongside a new Palestinian state created in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, lands seized by Israel in the 1967 war, without success.
Lee also visited the Palestinian Territories, where he was hosted to lunch by Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Rami Hamdallah. Lee also pledged to double an existing technical assistance package by Singapore to the PNA from S$5 million to S$10 million.
This article first appeared in Today Onlline.