SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans who in 2016 had volunteered with Sar-El Volunteer Corps – one of whom later published a blog post encouraging volunteering with the Israeli organisation – were not involved in any military activity with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
After the Internal Security Department (ISD) engaged the father-and-son duo in 2025, the son took down the post that year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence said in a statement on March 24.
Their statement came after social media users reposted the blog post earlier in March.
No action was taken against the pair for their 2016 activities after ISD concluded that they were not involved in military activity with the IDF, said the ministries, which did not name the father and son.
MHA and MINDEF said that in December 2016, for about two weeks, the pair had volunteered with Sar-El.
Midway through the volunteering stint, the father wrote to the Singapore authorities to ask if his son could take part in volunteer activities with Sar-El as part of the son’s school volunteer programme.
Checks by The Straits Times showed that the son was studying at Holderness School in New Hampshire in the US at the time.
The father had informed the Singapore authorities that as part of the volunteer programme at his son’s school, he would be taking part in the Sar-El volunteer programme organised by Israeli volunteers and the IDF Logistics Corps.
The ministries said the pair understood that under Singapore law, Singaporeans should not serve in a foreign military organisation.
The father also told the authorities that participants in Sar-El do not pledge allegiance to the IDF or Israel, and do not serve in combat roles or take up arms. Volunteers handle work such as packing, painting, sorting, cleaning, washing and cooking.
In essence, volunteers would not take part in any combat role. Based on that, the father asked if his son could volunteer with Sar-El.
The Sar-El website around that time, in 2016, stated that Sar-El assists the IDF, and that Sar-El’s 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.
Based on the information provided by the father and the available information on the Sar-El website in 2016, the authorities told the father that it appeared that participation in the Sar-El volunteer programme did not constitute service in a foreign military.
The authorities also said the son’s participation in the programme was not endorsed or authorised, and that his participation was of his own volition, with full awareness of the risks involved.
But by the time the authorities replied to the father’s e-mail, both the son and the father had completed their two-week volunteer programme with Sar-El.
Some time around 2018 or 2019, the son made a post on a blog that showed a photo of himself in a National Cadet Corps ceremonial uniform. The post included a hyperlink to his website, which contained a link redirecting users to the Sar-El Volunteer Corps (Singapore) website.
Following ISD’s engagement with the pair in 2025 after learning about the post, no action was taken against them for their 2016 activities, based on the facts known at that time.
Since 2016, MINDEF has not evaluated any similar requests with respect to Sar-El, said both ministries.
They pointed out, however, that the Sar-El website now states that the group is “deeply committed to supporting the IDF” and that its volunteers “work side by side with soldiers on IDF bases”, with their volunteer service contributing directly to Israel’s security.
MHA and MINDEF said involvement in organisations such as Sar-El on these terms today would not be acceptable, and action would be taken under Singapore laws against anyone whose involvement in such activities is found to prejudice Singapore’s national security and interests.
Based on ST’s checks, a Facebook user had shared a screenshot of the Singaporean’s blog on March 7, 2026.
On the blog, Shaun Kwan highlighted the Sar-El Volunteer Corps and how Singaporeans could volunteer in Israel through the organisation.
The post on Kwan’s blog coincided with his time as a senior at Holderness School, between 2018 and 2019, based on a check of the school’s yearbooks.
The Sar-El Volunteer Corps describes itself as a “non-political volunteer organisation dedicated to supporting Israel”.
In a video on its website, volunteers were shown packing rations and medication for IDF troops in the aftermath of Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel, an act that triggered Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
In all, 33 countries and territories, including Singapore, were listed on the Sar-El website as having local liaisons with the organisation. Information on the Singapore liaisons was removed some time between March 10 and March 17, 2026.
Before the details were removed, the website named two people as the Singapore contacts – Edmund Kwan and Shaun Kwan – along with an e-mail address.
Checks showed that the Singapore contacts were added to the website in January 2021. The e-mail address listed is no longer in use.
Questions about the possible involvement of Singaporeans with the IDF had surfaced earlier, after a foreign news report published on Feb 11 said two Singaporeans holding more than one citizenship were among those enlisted in the Israeli military.
On March 24, MHA and MINDEF said there was no information to suggest that the pair’s volunteering in Sar-El in December 2016 was related to the news report.
Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in Parliament on March 5 that there was no substantial information to confirm the news report.
He added that the government had approached the Israeli government to verify the report, but had not received a response at that point.
Shanmugam, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said the government’s position on the matter has always been quite clear and publicly stated.
“Singaporeans should not participate in any foreign armed conflict not involving Singapore. Our loyalties as Singaporeans should only be to Singapore, and we should only ever engage in military action in defence of Singapore,” he said.
“If Singaporeans are found to be fighting, or even planning to fight, in foreign armed conflicts, these persons will be dealt with in accordance with our laws.” - The Straits Times/ANN
