Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs denies death penalty discussed during Israeli delegation visit

CNA reported that MHA issued the denial after Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’ said on September 7 that officials from the Israel Prison Service and National Security Ministry had made a ‘secret visit’ to Singapore and that the death penalty had been raised despite not being on the agenda. — Picture from Facebook/Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore

By Malay Mail

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 9:45 AM MYT

SINGAPORE, Sept 12 — Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has rejected a report claiming that the death penalty was discussed during an Israeli delegation’s visit to the country in May.

CNA reported that MHA issued the denial after Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on September 7 that officials from the Israel Prison Service and National Security Ministry had made a “secret visit” to Singapore and that the death penalty had been raised despite not being on the agenda.

MHA said its response followed a query from Haaretz correspondent Josh Breiner on whether the issue had been discussed.

“He was categorically told that there had been no such discussions and it would be false to suggest otherwise. It is to be regretted that Haaretz and Breiner have nevertheless put out such falsehoods,” an MHA spokesperson told CNA.

The ministry said the Israeli delegation took part in an officials-level meeting covering the exchange of best practices in emergency response, crime prevention and forensics.

“Issues relating to the death penalty were never part of the meeting and were not discussed. Haaretz’s suggestion that the death penalty was raised during the meeting is false,” the spokesperson added.

MHA said Singapore regularly works with other jurisdictions on information exchange and operational cooperation, including in fire and rescue and cybercrime.

“This is part of the Singapore government’s engagement with a wide range of international counterparts in the conduct of foreign relations, economic cooperation, security dialogue, among others, in pursuit of our national interests,” the spokesperson said.

Haaretz had also reported that the Singapore Embassy in Israel described the discussions as “technical in nature” and said they covered the same areas outlined by MHA.

The embassy said the death penalty was not part of the meeting, while Israel’s National Security Ministry likewise said “representatives of the National Security Ministry delegation and its agencies did not discuss the death penalty with their Singaporean counterparts.”

The Israeli ministry said it had maintained “highly productive cooperation” with Singapore in recent years covering counterterrorism, serious crime and criminal organisations, drug trafficking and various technological fields.

In March, Israel passed a law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism.