Israeli embassy in Singapore forced to take down 'insensitive' Facebook post

A controversial post by the Israeli Embassy in Singapore, which sought to make a political point by referencing the holy Quran, has been removed following the intervention of the Singaporean government.

The post, made on the embassy's Facebook page on Sunday, was criticised by Singapore's Minister for Law and Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, who labelled it as an 'astonishing attempt to rewrite history', 'insensitive', 'inappropriate', and 'completely unacceptable'.

Shanmugam stated that the post posed a threat to Singapore's safety, harmony and security. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, also condemned the post, stating it was inappropriate to use sacred texts for political points.

The Israeli embassy complied and removed the post. The original post claimed that Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Quran, but Palestine is not mentioned at all, and suggested that Jewish people are the indigenous people of Israel based on archaeological evidence.

Shanmugam advised the author of the post to consult UN resolutions and assess Israel's past actions in accordance with international law before attempting to rewrite history.