Wednesday, December 13, 2017

US’ Jerusalem move is ‘step backwards’ in regional stability: PERGAS
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pergas-yaacob-ibrahim-jerusalem-statement-9494236

 (Updated: )
Ricky Lim · 
Jerusalem is considered a holy city in the three major Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to the Bible, King David conquered the city from the Jebusites and established it as the capital of the united kingdom of Israel, and his son, King Solomon, commissioned the building of the First Temple.[note 4] These foundational events, straddling the dawn of the 1st millennium BCE, assumed central symbolic importance for the Jewish people.[13]

The sobriquet of holy city (עיר הקודש, transliterated ‘ir haqodesh) was probably attached to Jerusalem in post-exilic times.[14][15][16] The holiness of Jerusalem in Christianity, conserved in the Septuagint[17] which Christians adopted as their own authority,[18] was reinforced by the New Testament account of Jesus's crucifixion there.

In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina.[19][20] In Islamic tradition in 610 CE it became the first qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (salat),[21] and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to heaven where he speaks to God, according to the Quran.[22][23] As a result, despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi),[24] the Old City is home to many sites of seminal religious importance, among them the Temple Mount with its Western Wall, Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Outside the Old City stands the Garden Tomb.
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Ricky Lim · 
There are 3 significant events - for each of the 3 Abrahamic religions - specifically Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

This explain why Jerusalem is the most sensitive and emotional event - if not handle carefully and sensitively -- will lead to unnecessary emotion and tension.
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Ricky Lim · 
Unilateral action by any one party -- will inflame the situation.
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Ripple effects from Washington's Jerusalem declaration could spread to Asia: Maliki


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Dr Maliki delivering his speech at the 14th SMEAC at Temasek Club, Dec 13, 2017. (Photo: Mindef)

SINGAPORE: Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman said on Wednesday (Dec 13) that Singapore must be prepared should tensions build up in this region after Washington’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last week.
Dr Maliki said that the status of Jerusalem is a “sensitive and complex issue with a long history” and any “premature and unilateral action” to alter its status will impede progress for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East. He added that Washington’s declaration will further “destabilise the region and make efforts to combat terrorism all the more difficult”.
Dr Maliki was speaking at the 14th Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony at the Temasek club, where 99 servicemen and servicewomen were appointed Senior Military Experts (MEs). The graduating cohort comprised 18 from the Singapore Army, 38 from the Republic of Singapore Navy, 25 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and 18 from Joint.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman presenting the Sword of Honour to Military Expert (ME) 4 Ryan Goh Su-Shien at the 14th Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony (SMEAC). (Photo: Mindef)
In his speech, the minister said the current security situation in the world remains “tense”, while threats are constantly evolving: “The North Korean nuclear situation has caused great concern amongst the nations of East Asia and the US. Tensions in the South China Sea persist as countries assert their claims over the disputed waters.”
Referring to the Las Vegas mass shooting incident in October and the terrorist attacks in Europe involving vehicles being driven into crowds, Dr Maliki said these new terror methods are a reminder that we need to be “ever-vigilant and agile to adapt our means of defence against these threats”.
CYBER THREATS
With regard to cyber defence, Dr Maliki said that increased digitisation has contributed to a rise in the risk of cyber threats that have the potential to cause much disruption. He cited the IT network breaches of two Singapore universities in April, as well as Yahoo’s disclosure in October that three billion of its accounts were hacked in a 2013 data theft, the largest data breach in history.
To meet this emerging threat, Dr Maliki said that the SAF inaugurated the SAF C4 Command and the Cyber Defence Group in November, to strengthen Singapore’s defence against attacks in the digital domain.
He said the Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES) scheme will deepen the SAF's expertise in this area and facilitate its ability to groom the existing uniformed cyber security experts through professional upgrading, and recruit individuals with relevant academic background or experts from the cyber security industry.
Source: CNA/zl
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ripple-effects-from-washington-s-jerusalem-declaration-could-9496430

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