JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has thrust the breakaway territory into the international spotlight, causing an uproar in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East as a surprise new factor in regional power struggles.
For Israel, the decision reignites questions about the contentious proposal raised last year by American and Israeli officials for Somaliland to take in Palestinians displaced from Gaza. Israel also could use Somaliland as a base to more closely respond to attacks from Iran-backed Houthis rebels in Yemen, just across the Gulf of Aden.
Israel also would get a diplomatic win. Somaliland’s foreign minister told The Associated Press that it aims to join the Abraham Accords, bilateral agreements between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority countries.
“It is a mutually beneficial friendship,” Abdirahman Dahir Adan said in an interview. In return, “Somaliland gains open cooperation with Israel in trade, investment and technology.”
But the first international recognition of Somaliland as an independent nation also could make it a target. Analysts warn that its ties with Israel could become a rallying cry for Islamic extremists, destabilizing an already volatile region in which Somaliland has prided itself as an oasis of relative calm.
Al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab, based in Somalia and the key challenge to that country’s stability, is already making threats. The group has rarely carried out attacks in Somaliland, which broke away in 1991 as Somalia collapsed into conflict.
“Members of the movement reject Israel’s attempt to claim or use parts of our land. We will not accept this, and we will fight against it,” al-Shabab spokesperson Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rageal said in an audio message posted on one of the group’s sites.
Strategic location
Somaliland sits along one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. It has drawn interest from foreign investors and military powers who see it as a potential alternative to neighboring Djibouti, which is home to the premier African bases for the American and Chinese militaries, and those of several other nations.
Somaliland lies less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Yemen, where the Houthis have been targeting commercial and other ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass annually. The Houthis also fired scores of missiles and drones at Israel during the war in Gaza, triggering long-range strikes by Israel’s air force.
“If you are trying to watch, deter or disrupt Houthi maritime activity, a small footprint (in Somaliland) can provide disproportionate utility,” said Andreas Krieg, a military analyst at King’s College London.
Shortly after Israel’s recognition, the Houthis threatened Somaliland.
‘No limits’ to cooperation
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland last week, and Somaliland’s president is expected to visit Israel soon.
“This is a natural connection between democratic countries — both in challenging regions,” Saar said in defending Israel’s recognition.
Israel and Somaliland have said their new ties would include defense cooperation, but officials declined to elaborate. Somaliland’s foreign minister said that details would follow his president’s visit to Israel.
“There are no limits as to what areas we can work with,” Adan said.
He expressed hope that Israel’s recognition would bestow new legitimacy on Somaliland and prompt others to recognize its sovereignty, even as Somalia has angrily rejected it.
“Before Israel’s recognition, we were worried so much that other powers like Turkey and China would squeeze us,” Adan said, mentioning two of Somalia’s top benefactors. “I’m very hopeful that in the near future there will be many other countries that will follow Israel.”
But the foreign minister insisted there has been no discussion with Israel about taking in Palestinians from Gaza. U.S. and Israeli officials told the AP last year that Israel had approached Somaliland about the proposal.
Source: AP