7 hours ago
3
SINGAPORE: Singapore authorities warned on Tuesday (Mar 24) that involvement in organisations linked to the Israeli military, such as Sar-El, would not be acceptable under current conditions and could attract action under the law.
In a joint media release, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) noted that Sar-El’s website states that it is "deeply committed to supporting the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces)", and its volunteers “work side-by-side with soldiers on IDF bases.
"Being involved in organisations like Sar-El on these terms today would not be acceptable, and action will be taken under our laws against anyone whose involvement in such activities is found to be prejudicial to Singapore’s national security and interests," the ministries said.
Their comments came after authorities became aware of social media posts resurfacing an old blog post that encouraged volunteering with Sar-El, an Israeli non-profit service organisation.
The blog, written by a Singaporean around 2018 or 2019, was taken down in 2025 but was recently reposted by other social media users. At least one of them questioned why the Singaporean was asking others to join the IDF as volunteers in Israel.
A screenshot from Sar-El's website in 2026. (Image: MHA/MINDEF)
FATHER AND SON WHO VOLUNTEERED WITH SAR-EL
According to the ministries, the author of the blog post and his father volunteered with Sar-El for around two weeks in December 2016.
Midway through this period, the father wrote to Singapore’s authorities to ask whether his son could participate in volunteer activities with Sar-El as part of a volunteer programme in his school in the US.
The father informed the authorities that:
The programme was organised by Israeli volunteers and the IDF Logistics Corps
Sar-El’s participants do not pledge allegiance to the IDF or Israel
Participants do not serve in combat roles or take up arms. Volunteers handle work like packing, painting, sorting, cleaning, washing and cooking
Father and son understood that under Singapore law, Singaporeans shall not serve in a foreign military organisation
At that time, Sar-El’s website stated that it assists the IDF, and its volunteers would work in IDF warehouses and be given guided tours of some locations in Israel, as well as lectures on Jewish and Israeli topics, the ministries noted.
A screenshot of the Sar-El website in 2016. (Image: MHA/MINDEF)
Based on the information provided by the father and the website at the time, the authorities assessed that participation in the Sar-El volunteer programme did not constitute service in a foreign military, said MHA and MINDEF.
However, the authorities also told him that his child’s participation was not endorsed or authorised, and would be undertaken at the individual’s own risk.
“By the time the authorities replied to … (the father’s) email, (the father and son) had completed their two-week volunteer programme with Sar-El,” said MHA and MINDEF.
No action was taken against the pair as their volunteer activities at the time did not involve combat roles.
The ministries added that there was no information to suggest that the pair’s volunteering in Sar-El was related to a recent report that two Singaporeans may be among those who fought for the IDF during the conflict in Gaza.
BLOG POSTS
Sometime around 2018 or 2019, the son wrote a blog post which included a photograph of himself in a National Cadet Corps ceremonial uniform.
The post included a hyperlink to his website, which contained a link to redirect users to the Sar-El Volunteer Corps (Singapore) website.
In 2025, the Internal Security Department (ISD) engaged the father and son after learning about the blog post, said MHA and MINDEF.
Based on its investigations, ISD concluded that the pair were not involved in any military activities with the IDF, said the ministries.
“After ISD’s engagement with them, (the son) took down the blog post,” they said, adding that the pair are no longer involved with Sar-El.
“Since 2016, MINDEF has not evaluated any similar requests with respect to Sar-El.”
