Source: Haaretz
Israel is the first country to recognize the Horn of Africa entity, which broke away from Somalia more than 30 years ago. Earlier this year, it was reported that the U.S. and Israel held talks with officials from Somaliland about the possible use of its territory for resettling Palestinians
Israel has formally recognized Somaliland, the self-declared breakaway region of Somalia, as an independent state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday, making Israel the first country to extend such recognition.
“This declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords signed at the initiative of President Trump,” Netanyahu’s office said, adding that he spoke with the East African leader and that Israel “plans to immediately expand … cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology and the economy.”
“Over the past year, based on an extensive and ongoing dialogue, relations between Israel and Somaliland have taken shape,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on X.
Somaliland is an unrecognized state in the Horn of Africa bordering Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. It unilaterally broke away from Somalia more than 30 years ago, but has not been recognized by the international community as an independent state. Somalia considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory.
In April, Sa’ar first met with representatives of the Somaliland president for a meeting that launched the process. Since then, there have been secret visits by senior officials.
Egypt said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Friday with his counterparts from Somalia, Turkey and Djibouti to discuss what they described as dangerous developments in the Horn of Africa following Israel’s announcement.
The ministers condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, reaffirmed their full support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, and warned that recognising breakaway regions poses a threat to international peace and security, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Earlier this year, the U.S. and Israel reached out to officials of three East African governments, including Somaliland, to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians from Gaza, the Associated Press reported in March.
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It was also reported that an American source previously said the United States was conducting quiet talks with Somaliland on a range of areas in which it could assist the U.S. in exchange for recognition.
It was also previously reported that Israel has expressed interest in using Somaliland’s territory to strike the Houthis in Yemen, given the geographic proximity between the two.
An Israeli source said the recognition of Somaliland was not intended as a provocative move but rather as “recognition of an existing reality.”
According to the source, “Somaliland has functioned in practice as a state entity for more than 30 years, characterized by civilian governance, elected institutions, relative security and peaceful transfers of power.”
The source did not address the timing of the decision, nor its possible connection to Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. next week for talks on implementing the second phase of the Gaza cease-fire deal, or to the potential security opportunities the recognition could offer Israel in confronting the Houthis.
