Istanbul
\nSomali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Israel\u2019s \u201cunexpected and strange\u201d recognition of Somaliland may have dire implications for Palestinians in Gaza.
\n\u201cSomaliland has been claiming the secession issue for a long time, over the past three decades, and no one country in the world has recognised it,\u201d Mohamud told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview from Istanbul, Turkiye, on Tuesday.
\n\u201cFor us, we\u2019ve been trying to reunite the country in a peaceful manner. So after 34 years it was very unexpected and strange that Israel, out of nowhere, just jumped in and said, \u2018We recognise Somaliland\u2019.\u201d
\nHe said the recognition \u201cwas not merely a diplomatic gesture but a cover for specific, high-stakes Israeli strategic objectives\u201d.
\nIsrael last week became the first and only country to formally recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region in northwest Somalia, bordering the Gulf of Aden.
\nMohamud did not mince words over what he said is the true intent behind Israel\u2019s overture to Somaliland, a region that has sought international recognition for more than three decades without success.
\nAccording to Somali intelligence, Somaliland has accepted three Israeli conditions in exchange for Israeli recognition: the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of an Israeli military base on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, and Somaliland joining the Abraham Accords, Somalia\u2019s president said.
\nThe accords are a set of pacts establishing the normalisation of ties between Israel and several Arab states. The UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan have already signed on.
\nSomalia has intelligence indicating there is already a level of Israeli presence in Somaliland, and Israeli recognition of the region is merely a normalisation of what is already happening covertly, Mohamud said.
\nIsrael will resort to forcibly displacing Palestinians to Somalia, the Somali leader added. The moves will \u201copen a box of evils in the world\u201d, he said, arguing Israel is attempting to \u201cexport its problem in Gaza\u201d to the Horn of Africa.
\n\u201cIsrael does not have any peaceful intentions in coming to Somalia. This is a step of utmost danger, and the whole world, especially Arabs and Muslims, must view it as a serious threat,\u201d said Mohamud.<\/p>\n
Strategically important waterways
\nA 20-point plan released by the administration of US President Donald Trump ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza said \u201cno one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return\u201d.
\nHowever, Israel has reportedly continued to explore ways to displace Palestinians from the besieged and occupied territory, including in mysterious flights to South Africa, which has formally accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
\nIsrael is also seeking to control strategically important waterways connecting vital seas of commercial and economic significance, namely the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Gulf of Aden, Mohamud said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Istanbul Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Israel\u2019s \u201cunexpected and strange\u201d recognition of Somaliland may have dire implications for Palestinians in Gaza. \u201cSomaliland has been claiming the secession issue for a long time, over the past three decades, and no one country in the world has recognised it,\u201d Mohamud told Al Jazeera in an exclusive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-523099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n