Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday told visiting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that his country still believes in the two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Lee told Netanyahu at a joint news conference that he realizes a two-state solution is a difficult goal, but insisted it is the only path to peace and stability.
Netanyahu in his response preferred to point out to his host more substantial and reliable things, such as their respective countries’ “joint R&D fund that has already funded 150 projects for Israeli and Singapore companies working together in a variety of fields,” where, the Israeli PM said, “I think that the opportunities are vast.”
Last year, Lee was the first Singaporean prime minister to visit Israel, and Netanyahu’s official visit is the first to Singapore by an Israeli prime minister.
“We live in a technological age,” Netanyahu said. “The future belongs to those who innovate. Israel and Singapore are innovation nations, and together we can bring more prosperity, more hope for our peoples and I think for beyond our peoples, for the neighborhoods in which we live. We value the diversity in our societies, we value the pluralism in our societies, and we have much to learn from each other.”
Was that the Israeli PM’s polite way of suggesting PM Lee stick to areas he understands? Perhaps. Netanyahu Also noted, “I asked, Prime Minister, to visit one of your housing sites because this is an issue that you have resolved in your own way. We’d like to learn from you, as we do in many, many other areas. And I must say that we find this relationship particularly productive and valuable to ensure our security and prosperity for our peoples in the future.”
The island state of Singapore has gone from suffering one of the worst housing crises in the world to a current situation where 90% of its citizens own their own home and homelessness is virtually eliminated, while the population has tripled.
According to the former prime minister of Singapore, the late Lee Kuan Yew, in his book “From Third World to First: The Singapore Story – 1965-2000,” in the 1960s, his government gathered sufficient land to build homes using compulsory purchase orders and capping land purchase prices – preventing landowners from profiteering. Amazingly, by 1965, Singapore had exceeded its target for home construction.
Singapore encouraged home ownership with a compulsory pension scheme for workers, forcing everyone to save money and use it for a down-payment on a new home. Four years after purchase, homeowners could sell their property at the open market price. For residents who cannot afford a home, the government offers are subsidized rents and grants.
So there’s plenty for Israel, with a runaway apartment market for sale and land that is frozen under state ownership, to learn from its Asian ally. Or, as Netanyahu put it, “We admire you and we treasure our relationship.”