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When Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland on Tuesday, he became the first Israeli official traveling to the breakaway republic since his country established full diplomatic relations with it late last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced diplomatic recognition of Somaliland – a separatist part of Somalia – on December 26. He said the recognition was in line with “the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” referring to the U.S.-led initiative encouraging a number of Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for diplomatic and financial concessions from the United States.
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But Israel’s recognition of Somaliland prompted demonstrations in Somalia and complaints from dozens of countries and organizations, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the African Union.
During his meeting with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, on Tuesday, Sa’ar told reporters that Israel had not been deterred by criticism of its decision.
“We hear the attacks, the criticism, the condemnations,” he said. “No one will determine for Israel who we recognize and with whom we maintain diplomatic relations. »
Hegemon
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland comes after more than two years of genocidal war against Gaza and attacks on countries in the region, including Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Yemen and Qatar.
Attacks on Lebanon continue and new indications suggest that Israel may seek to launch new attacks against Iran, its main regional enemy.
Israel’s wars appear to be an attempt to present itself – with US support – as a regional hegemon, uninterested in compromising with its enemies.
The recognition of Somaliland, despite regional opposition, marks the final part of this strategy.
And Israel found a new ally in the Horn of Africa thanks to its decision.
Although autonomous for more than 30 years, Somaliland has failed to gain international recognition, despite maintaining its own currency, passport and army.
Recognition remains elusive, meaning that while some express reservations about ties with Israel, many are willing to ignore them in the hope that the move will pave the way for other countries.
“Clans, militias and corruption have ruined Somalia,” Somali journalist and human rights activist Abdalle Mumin, who was previously imprisoned by his country’s authorities, told Al Jazeera. “At least in Somaliland they have achieved some sort of peace and stability.
“Many hope that other countries will follow Israel,” Mumin continued.
Why did Israel recognize Somaliland?
Nonetheless, speculation about why Israel chose to recognize Somaliland has grown since Netanyahu’s announcement, with analysts pointing to its strategic location at the crossroads between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The port of Berbera in Somaliland is close to some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, which have been attacked in the past two years by Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement, Israel’s archenemy.
These are all factors that led to the recognition of Israel, said former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy, acknowledging that the Netanyahu government had also benefited from preserving the suggestion that Somaliland can accommodate Palestinians forced to leave Gaza.
However, Levy suspects that Israel’s ambitions could be even greater, including increasing the country’s value in the eyes of its main sponsor, the United States.
By gaining an ally in a strategically important region,
The key dynamic, according to Levy, is momentum.
“If you decide to do something like this, you can’t just stop [at recognition]”, he told Al Jazeera. “You must continue to take measures: more planes, more presence, more movements. Once you engage in this kind of play, you need to stay at the table.
The timing of the decision, shortly before Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on December 29, is also important, Levy said.
Israel was trying to position itself more firmly on what it imagines Washington’s agenda to be, and how it imagines great power competition in the Horn of Africa, particularly with China, which maintains a base in neighboring Djibouti, might play out.
“We have already seen that Israel can put something on the table and the Americans follow later,” he said.
Israel is perhaps implicitly saying to the United States: “We are active and we are positioned in a way that helps you. Our presence there helps you.”
Momentum
According to many observers, the past two years of war have already fundamentally changed the nature of Israel, with the strain of its genocidal war against Gaza and new aggressions against its regional neighbors leaving the country fractured, isolated and with a hard right firmly in the ascending position.
It’s unclear how enthusiastic the country might be about new adventures in the Horn of Africa, a region that many observers say remains largely unknown to much of the Israeli public.
“The Israelis have no idea what or where Somaliland is. It’s not a problem in Israel,” Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera.
“The first time the news was published, it was published alongside maps showing the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and its position in the Gulf of Aden. They had to show people where it was,” he said, rejecting the suggestion that Israel might ever station troops there.
“No, it’s Netanyahu doing what he’s been doing since October 7, 2023: expanding the theater of conflict,” he said. “Whether it’s Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Iran. Now it’s Somaliland. There’s no other rationale behind it. It’s about always moving forward.”
