SINGAPORE: Singapore will impose financial sanctions on four Israelis and bar 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 Gopstein, and Baruch Marzel were unlawful and had jeopardized the prospects for a two-state solution in Palestine.

“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,” it said.

The EU has previously sanctioned all four people.

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, the two Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, and said the so-called E1 settlement project would fragment the West Bank.

Apart from imposing sanctions, Balakrishnan said Singapore would also recognize a Palestinian state under the right conditions. 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. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the West Bank, insists it must play a key part in running Gaza in the future.

The EU has pressed to bolster reform of the Palestinian Authority, as Brussels hosted 60 delegations to discuss reconstruction and governance in Gaza. “We aim to strengthen governance, build a more resilient economy, stabilize finances, improve services for the population, and create conditions for future effective governance across all territories,” said EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica.

As part of the efforts, a handful of EU countries signed contributions of more than €80 million ($92 million), part of broader support by the bloc worth around €1.6 billion over three years that has already been announced. “Our financial support is linked to the Palestinian Authority reform agenda, which, of course, they committed to implement,” Suica said.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was “committed to working toward a Palestinian state with a reformed, well-functioning Palestinian Authority at its core.” “We will continue to support all efforts to stabilize the region, including West Bank and Gaza transitional governance,” she said.

“We were clear today, as we have always been, that Gaza and the West Bank are one political and geographical unit, inseparable parts of the state of Palestine,” said Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, the PA’s prime minister. “Reunifying the two under one legitimate government, one law, and one administration is not a slogan. It’s the only workable path to stability.”