Somali president says Somaliland accepted Palestinian resettlement in exchange for Israel’s recognition
Somali president says Somaliland accepted Palestinian resettlement in exchange for Israel’s recognition
Somali president says Somaliland accepted Palestinian resettlement in exchange for Israel’s recognition
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7216957
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland was “unexpected and strange,” warning that the move carries implications for Palestinians in Gaza, in comments to Al Jazeera on 31 December.
Speaking from Istanbul, Turkiye, he outlined Somalia’s concerns and said Israel’s decision was abrupt and destabilizing.
Mohamud said that Somaliland has pursued its secessionist claim for decades without international recognition, noting that “no one country in the world has recognized it,” while Somalia has sought reunification “in a peaceful manner,” making Israel’s move, after 34 years, “very unexpected and strange.”
According to Mohamud, Somali intelligence indicates Somaliland accepted three Israeli conditions in exchange for recognition. He listed them as the resettlement of Palestinians, an Israeli military base on the Gulf of Aden coast, and accession to the Abraham Accords.
In a speech delivered on 28 December, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Ansarallah, said that any Israeli footprint in Somaliland would be treated as a legitimate “military target” by the Yemeni Armed Forces.
Mohamud said there is already “a certain level” of Israeli presence in Somaliland, describing the recognition as the public normalization of what had been happening covertly, adding that Israel’s presence “is not for peace,” and warned of plans to forcibly displace Palestinians to Somalia.