TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A five-star hotel in Singapore announced that it would not be the venue for the "Friends of Israel Annual Aliyah Gala Dinner" on November 18, 2025.
As reported by the Singaporean site Mothership on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, a spokesperson for The Fullerton Hotel stated that the event would not take place at their venue.
"We wish to clarify that The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is not a sponsor, organiser, or partner of the upcoming Friends of Israel Annual Aliyah Gala Dinner," the spokesperson said.
"We do not endorse, support, or take a position on the views or objectives of independent organisers or their guests."
"Our priority remains to maintain a respectful, inclusive, and safe environment for all guests, partners, and members of the public," they added.
This dinner event sparked sharp reactions from Singaporean netizens.
Keren Hayesod, a fundraising organization based in Israel and associated with the government, organized the gala dinner event. Keren Hayesod has offices around the world, including in Asia.
According to their Facebook page, the organization had previously held events in Singapore before the Israel genocide in Gaza in 2023, including conferences that have been held since 2010.
The event registration page, which has now been removed from the organizer's website, listed the five-star hotel as the location, along with a payment section that could only be completed using a Singaporean banking application.
On Monday, October 13, 2025, the event location was removed and unknown.
The registration page still listed the same date and time, as well as payment through a Singaporean banking application, but without a confirmed location.
This year's gala dinner attracted significant attention from Singaporeans due to the choice of location, which was linked to the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip that has claimed at least 67,800 Palestinian lives, the majority of whom were children and women.
Furthermore, a United Nations investigative commission concluded in a report that Israel has committed acts of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Netizens voiced their anger on social media over what they saw as The Fullerton Hotel's "support" for Israel's actions in Gaza, and many called for the event to be canceled.
"By hosting this event, The Fullerton Hotel risks being perceived as endorsing or normalising the policies and conduct currently under international legal scrutiny," said an Instagram user in a post.
A series of emails has also been circulated calling for signatures to oppose the hotel's hosting of the event, labeling the event as "insensitive" and "morally unjustifiable."
Checks on The Fullerton Hotel's Google Reviews page revealed several 1-star reviews from guests who did not provide a reason for the low rating.
Close Ties with Israel
Singapore is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia with close ties to Israel. As reported by TRT World, Israel helped Singapore build its military after its independence in 1965, as many other countries, including Egypt and India, rejected Singapore's requests.
Israel acted as an advisor, providing blueprints for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), a little-known fact deliberately concealed by Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew.
This secret was later revealed when Lee wrote in his book, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, published in 2000.
Lee detailed how they referred to the Israelis as "Mexicans" to "camouflage their presence," and wrote, "They looked quite swarthy."
According to former Singaporean ambassador to Israel Winston Choo, Singapore's conscription system bears similarities to Israel's national service system, which requires citizens to serve in the military.
"However, the Israeli military advisers’ presence in Singapore presented us with an awkward political quandary," Choo wrote in the book co-authored by many authors, In Beating The Odds Together: 50 Years of Singapore-Israel Ties.
"The Israeli–Palestinian conflict was, and still is, an emotive and salient issue among Southeast Asian Muslims. But Singapore was vulnerable, with few options."
"Therefore," Choo added, "we had to keep our defence co-operation low-profile to avoid riling up sensitivities. We even referred to the Israeli military advisers as the ‘Mexicans’ to cover up their true identities." He noted that "the subterfuge did not hamper" the cooperation.
Due to this closeness, Singapore condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and recognized Israel's right to self-defense.
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