Israel has taken a significant step in its burgeoning relationship with Somaliland by appointing its first ambassador to the self-declared state. This move comes months after Israel officially recognized the breakaway region in Somalia, marking a pivotal moment in its diplomatic history.<\/p>\n
Michael Lotem<\/b>, who previously served as Israel\u2019s ambassador to Kenya, has been named to the new post. This appointment, reported by Israel\u2019s public broadcaster, signifies the latest development in a partnership that has rapidly gained momentum since December. At that time, Israel became the first country globally to recognize Somaliland, effectively ending over three decades of diplomatic isolation for the region.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Somaliland\u2019s President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, addressed a joint session of parliament, hailing Israel as a \u201creliable partner.\u201d His remarks were met with enthusiastic applause from lawmakers, underscoring the strong support for the new alliance within Somaliland.<\/p>\n
In stark contrast, Somalia\u2019s foreign ministry released a statement vehemently condemning Israel\u2019s decision. The ministry described the appointment as a \u201cdirect breach\u201d of Somalia\u2019s sovereignty and unity, highlighting the deep divisions caused by Somaliland\u2019s pursuit of international recognition.<\/p>\n
Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, following a devastating civil war. However, Somalia has never recognized its secession, viewing it as an integral part of its territory. Israel\u2019s recognition of Somaliland has drawn widespread criticism from international bodies, including the UN Security Council, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.<\/p>\n
Since Israel\u2019s recognition announcement in December, both sides have moved swiftly to cultivate their relationship. Israel\u2019s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, visited Somaliland\u2019s capital, Hargeisa, in January. Subsequently, Somaliland dispatched a delegation from its water ministry to Israel for specialized training in water management, indicating practical cooperation.<\/p>\n
Somaliland\u2019s president informed Reuters in February that he anticipates a trade deal with Israel will soon follow. Furthermore, Israel has granted diplomatic approval to Mohamed Hagi, a presidential adviser instrumental in brokering the recognition, as Somaliland\u2019s first ambassador to Israel.<\/p>\n
Somali officials have expressed significant anger over the deepening ties. Earlier this year, Somalia\u2019s president labeled it the \u201cgravest attack\u201d on the country\u2019s sovereignty and accused Israel of potentially seeking to establish a military base to launch attacks against Yemen.<\/p>\n
Somaliland is strategically located across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthi movement controls the country\u2019s northwest. The Houthis, known for their hostility towards Israel, began firing missiles at the country in late March in response to Israeli strikes on Iran. The group has explicitly stated that they would consider an Israeli presence in Somaliland a legitimate target.<\/p>\n
In March, Somaliland\u2019s minister of the presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, told Bloomberg that the region would pursue a \u201cstrategic relationship\u201d with Israel, encompassing security cooperation. Abdi notably refused to rule out the prospect of an Israeli military base in the country, stating that it \u201cwill be analyzed at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ali Omar, Somalia\u2019s state minister for foreign affairs, conveyed his country\u2019s concerns to Al Jazeera, emphasizing that Somalia does not wish to see its territory \u201cpulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilize an already sensitive region.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Israel #Somaliland #Diplomacy #Somalia #MiddleEast #Africa #InternationalRelations #Geopolitics #Ambassador #SecurityCooperation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel has taken a significant step in its burgeoning relationship with Somaliland by appointing its first ambassador to the self-declared state. This move comes months after Israel officially recognized the breakaway region in Somalia, marking a pivotal moment in its diplomatic history. A New Diplomatic Chapter Michael Lotem, who previously served as Israel\u2019s ambassador to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}