Somalilandsun: After successfully establishing formal agreements normalizing relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain the Jewish state of Israel is eying the African continent for diplomatic ties with Islamic nations.
To this effect Sudan has so far started talks while Somaliland is warming up to a potential agreement that could boost its standing internationally.
Somaliland as a target was revealed, covertly, by Israeli intelligence director Eli Cohen in in a recent interview in which he said his country was entering into a peace deal with two countries, one in the Horn of Africa and one not far from the region.
In the heels of this disclosure by the Israeli spy chief as well negotiations with Sudan three members of Somaliland parliament, have asked their government to recognize the existence of Israel and establish relations with Tel Aviv.
The three, Ahmed Mohamed Diriye Nac Nac, a member of Somaliland’s House of Representatives, Abdikadir indho Indho said, with Saed Elmi said it was important for Somaliland to recognize Israel.
Israel faces many adversaries that don’t recognize it or its right to self-determination; Somaliland is also unrecognized as a state by most countries. Both share a history with Britain that saw the Jewish state became first of 34 countries, including the United States, to recognize Somaliland in June 1960.
The harmony between the two countries came to light again in Febraury 2010 when citing the Israeli recognition of Somaliland in 1960 when it received its independence from Great Britain then Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, was quoted on the Israeli newspaper of Haaretz Daily saying his government was ready to recognize Somaliland again.
While Somaliland which withdrew from its 1960 voluntary later turned fateful union with Somalia three decades ago remains international unrecognized as a sovereign state establishing formal relations with Israel will not only make it the sixth Islamic country to do so but boost its recent full diplomatic relations with Taiwan as well
Other Islamic Countries to establish ties with Israel are Bahrain, the UAE Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania.
The Somaliland –Israel connection surfaced in August 2020 after the significant warming of official Israeli-UAE relations, which formally agreed to “normalize” relations in a United States-brokered deal that also requires Israel to halt its plan to annex parts of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley
Though the UAE-Israel deal sparked protests from a number of Arab League of Nations countries, which have for a long time opposed Israeli’s foreign policy which they insist is anti-Arab the government of Somaliland became the first to recognize the new deal, perhaps due to her historical ties with UAE, a major development partner .
The UAE government has massively invested in Berbera port, which would become an alternative entry route to the Horn of Africa after the port of Djibouti.
Bashe Awil Omar, Somaliland’s representative to Kenya who also doubles as the head of Liaison office in Nairobi, said the Israeli agreement with UAE was a major step towards normalization of the relationship among countries within the porous strip of Middle East.
“The agreement is a good example of alliances between regional countries interested in regional stability and integration and emphasizes eternal aspirations of reaching peace with neighbors,” said Bashe, who served as Hargeisa representative to UAE from 2015 before leaving for Nairobi in 2018.
Moments after signing the deal with UAE, a deal with Bahrain was revealed by the Trump administration which hosted the signing ceremony by the three at the white house in Washington.
Now Israel is targeting Sudan and Somaliland, something which will boost the two nations, especially on agriculture, military, and technology. For Somaliland, the deal could boost her bid for international recognition which has taken over three decades.
So far the Somaliland and Israel governments are yet to comment publicly on this matter
This two countries have alot in common as per a Jerusalem Post published on 19th November 2018 an article titled ISRAEL AND SOMALILAND – LONG-LOST BROTHERS?
The author F. HUSSEN an entrepreneur based in Hargeisa argues that the two countries which are considered pariahs in the Arab world have much in common. excerpts below
Israel faces many adversaries that don’t recognize it or its right to self-determination; Somaliland is also unrecognized as a state by most countries. Both share a history with Britain.
Somaliland, which joined South Somalia in a union that lasted until 1991, finds itself politically isolated, in the middle of a hostile region threatened by a sinister and pernicious enemy in the form of encroaching religious extremism. With a population of four million, Somaliland faces hard-line opposition from wider Somalia, with population of 10 million. Israel is perceived as enemy to Arab world with an estimated population of 400 million and economic power of $2.5 trillion a year. Somaliland and Israel face significant opposition and near total rejection of the 22 nations of the Arab world who support the positions of Somalia and Palestinian Arabs, respectively. Continue reading ISRAEL AND SOMALILAND – LONG-LOST BROTHERS?
