Is Israeli Recognition of Somaliland a Gaza Removal Scheme?

Dec. 31—Israel’s provocative Dec. 26 recognition of Somaliland was roundly denounced by 14 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, which met in emergency session Dec. 29 to address the issue. Only the United States backed Israel’s decision, with Ambassador Tammy Bruce asserting that Israel has the right to recognize any nation it wishes to. Israel’s Dec. 26 announcement provoked protests in many cities and towns across Somalia.

According to Al Jazeera, Somalia’s UN Ambassador Abu Bakr Dahir Osman delivered one of the strongest denunciations, warning that Israel’s recognition threatened not only to fragment Somalia, but also to destabilize the Horn of Africa and the broader Red Sea region. Worse, he said, this could be Israel’s attempt to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza into northeastern Somalia—always an Israeli goal. “This utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now,” the ambassador said. Several other UNSC members and other non-member representatives expressed similar sentiments.

Sources in the region report that Israel has discussed the possibility of relocating Gazans to the pseudo state, although there was no enthusiasm for the scheme. These sources say that the leadership in the breakaway province does not want to be seen as a puppet of Israel by the rest of the region. U.S. backing for the Israeli diplomatic action and an off-hand remark made by President Donald Trump at a recent press conference that half of all Gazans would leave Gaza if they had someplace to go to has fueled speculation about Israel's intentions.

Arab League envoy Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz charged that Israel’s “illegitimate recognition” was aimed at the forced displacement of the Palestinian people “or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases.” Chinese UN representative Sun Lei warned against Israeli separatist operations in Somalia, while South Africa’s representative Mathu Joini firmly defended Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

London’s The Economist inserted itself into the issue, waxing poetic about what a nice little “statelet” Somaliland is, how much more democratic and stable it is, compared to “dysfunctional” Somalia, where “civil conflict prevails.” The Economist even admits that it has argued that Somaliland’s claim to statehood deserves recognition. But, it adds, Israel’s gambit “carries risks.” African borders have been redrawn before, but the UN and African Union had signed off on those changes. But Israel’s unilateral move could prove “destabilizing in a continent of weak states and strong ethnic antagonisms.”