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Singapore Imposes Sanctions, Entry Bans on Four Israeli West Bank Settlers

A Palestinian flag is seen on a building opposite Israeli national flags placed at the entrance of As-Sawiyah village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on November 16, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian flag is seen on a building opposite Israeli national flags placed at the entrance of As-Sawiyah village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on November 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Singapore Imposes Sanctions, Entry Bans on Four Israeli West Bank Settlers

A Palestinian flag is seen on a building opposite Israeli national flags placed at the entrance of As-Sawiyah village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on November 16, 2025. (AFP)
A Palestinian flag is seen on a building opposite Israeli national flags placed at the entrance of As-Sawiyah village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on November 16, 2025. (AFP)

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.

All four individuals have been previously sanctioned by the European Union, said Reuters.

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 Palestine 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.

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World

US Announces Aid to Bolster Thailand, Cambodia Truce

This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
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US Announces Aid to Bolster Thailand, Cambodia Truce

This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)

The United States on Friday announced some $45 million in aid as it tries to bolster a fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia.

Michael DeSombre, the top State Department official for East Asia, was visiting Thailand and Cambodia to discuss ways to strengthen the ceasefire, which President Donald Trump has sought to highlight as an achievement.

DeSombre said the United States would offer $20 million to help both countries combat drug trafficking and cyber scams, which have become a major concern in Cambodia.

He also said the United States would give $15 million to help support people displaced by the recent fighting as well as $10 million for demining, AFP said.

"The United States will continue to support the Cambodian and Thai governments as they implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and pave the way for a return to peace, prosperity and stability for their people and the region," DeSombre said in a statement.

He was referring to an agreement signed between the two countries in the presence of Trump during an October visit to Malaysia, then head of the ASEAN regional bloc.

Major new clashes erupted last month. The two sides reached a truce on December 27 after three weeks of fighting, although Thailand accused Cambodia of violating in apparent accidental fire.

Cambodia has called on Thailand to pull out its forces from several border areas that Phnom Penh claims as its own.

The nations' long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, where both sides claim territory and centuries-old temple ruins.

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he says he has solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump on taking office drastically slashed foreign aid, including for months freezing longstanding assistance to Cambodia for demining, with the administration saying it will provide money only in support of narrow US interests.

World

Zelensky Calls for 'Clear Reaction' From World to Russian Attack

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 06 January 2026. EPA/LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 06 January 2026. EPA/LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
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Zelensky Calls for 'Clear Reaction' From World to Russian Attack

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 06 January 2026. EPA/LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 06 January 2026. EPA/LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the world to act after Russia hit western Ukraine with its new Oreshnik ballistic missile in a massive overnight attack that killed four in the capital Kyiv.

"A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to," Zelensky said on social media.

"Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure," he added.

World

Turkish Airlines Cancels Friday’s Istanbul-Tehran Flights

Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 08 January 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 08 January 2026. (EPA)
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Turkish Airlines Cancels Friday’s Istanbul-Tehran Flights

Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 08 January 2026. (EPA)
Iranians walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, 08 January 2026. (EPA)

Turkish Airlines has cancelled its five Friday flights to the Iranian capital Tehran, which has been rocked by protests against the rising cost of living, according to the Istanbul Airport app.

Five other flights operated by Iranian airlines have also been cancelled, according to the airport app, while seven others remain scheduled.

Turkish authorities have not commented so far on the situation in Iran, where the protests have challenged the authorities under Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian government was already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.

Rights groups have accused Iranian security forces of opening fire on demonstrators, with the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights saying Thursday that security forces had killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, since the demonstrations began.

According to the specialist website Flight Radar, a Turkish Airlines plane flying to Shiraz and a Pegasus flight to Mashad turned back from Iranian space on Thursday night.

Türkiye shares a border of around 500 kilometers (300 miles) with Iran, and there are three active land crossings between the two countries.