The State of Israel has become the first member state of the United Nations to recognize the Republic of Somaliland – a courageous and morally correct decision by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Somaliland is the kind of country that deserves diplomatic recognition. It's among the most stable countries in Africa. It has functioning governmental institutions. It has a functioning economy despite not receiving state-to-state aid, and it's not a threat to its neighbours. Yet, until now, no UN member state has seen fit to recognize it.
Contrast this with the so-called "State of Palestine," a country that has never existed and doesn't exist today. The Palestinian Authority (PA), the closest thing there is to a "State of Palestine," and the internationally recognized leadership of the Palestinian people, has no functioning institutions, no defined territory, and an economy entirely dependent on foreign aid. Yet, countries bend over backwards to recognize this fictitious state. Is it just me, or does the international community have its moral principles mixed up?
Indeed, just a day after Israel announced its decision to recognize Somaliland, several Arab and Muslim states issued a joint statement rejecting and condemning the move by the Jewish state. Unlike Somaliland, many of the signatories to this statement have little to no semblance of democracy. They are basically a who's who of Arab and Muslim dictatorships. Some of these countries don't even enjoy the stability that Somaliland enjoys. In fact, two of these countries, Sudan and Libya, are currently in a state of civil war, while Somalia hasn't had a working government to control the country in almost 35 years.
The statement that these countries issued ridiculously accuses Israel of "blatant disregard to international law," and says that Israel's decision "threatens international peace and security." But perhaps the most absurd assertion the statement makes is that Israel's recognition of Somaliland is linked to an attempt by the Jewish state to "forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land."
This statement is not something to be taken seriously. In fact, I'd say it's something to laugh at. For starters, Israel isn't violating international law in any way. The right to self-determination that Somaliland exercised when it declared independence from Somalia in 1991 is upheld in the UN Charter. Furthermore, Somaliland has all the basic qualifications that international law requires for statehood – a functioning government, a defined territory, a permanent population, and the ability to enter into relations with other countries. Yet, up until Israel recognized Somaliland on December 26th, no UN member state has seen fit to establish full diplomatic relations with it.
In contrast, the "State of Palestine" has no functioning government and no defined territory. Indeed, the PA doesn't even have effective control over the territory assigned to it under the Oslo Accords. Its control over territory in Judea and Samaria is tenuous at best, and non-existent in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas forcibly took control of in 2007.
Yet, it is "Palestine," not Somaliland, that has managed to garner diplomatic recognition from 157 UN member states. This is an absurd miscarriage of justice. If anyone is violating international law, it is the countries that have chosen to recognize "Palestine," despite the fact that it doesn't meet even the basic requirements for statehood.
Furthermore, whereas "Palestine" presents a clear and present danger to its neighbors, particularly Israel, Somaliland strives for peace with other countries. Inasmuch as Somaliland doesn't want to be part of Somalia, it also doesn't seek to destroy Somalia like the Palestinians want to destroy Israel. In fact, it is crucial to note that the Palestinian movement is the only movement for self-determination that is predicated on the destruction of another country. The Tibetans don't want to destroy China; the Kurds don't want to destroy Iraq, Syria, Iran, or Turkey; Quebec doesn't seek to destroy Canada, but the Palestinians have consistently demonstrated their intention to destroy the Jewish state. Yet, the international community has chosen to reward the Palestinians for their decades of terrorism and bloodshed with greater diplomatic recognition while shunning Somaliland. This doesn't make sense.
Lastly, Israel's recognition of Somaliland has nothing to do with displacing the Palestinians in Gaza. In fact, there is no verified plan by Israel to forcibly relocate Palestinians to Somaliland, or anywhere else for that matter, and Somaliland has also denied that such a scheme exists. Israel's stance has always been that the Palestinians of Gaza should have the right to leave Gaza and seek a better life elsewhere. Israel has never expressed a desire to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza. Moreover, in agreeing to President Trump's plan for post-war Gaza, Israel agreed to the condition that no one would be forced to leave the coastal enclave.
Besides, Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland had nothing to do with the Palestinians, and everything to do with maintaining its own security and promoting peace. Somaliland is strategically located in the Gulf of Aden, along the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, across from Yemen, which hosts the Houthis, the Iran-backed terrorist group that has attacked Israel on numerous occasions, and has harassed commercial shipping in the area. Access to Somaliland gives Israel a potential strategic point from which to protect its interests, vis-à-vis threats from Iran, its proxies, and other rival countries that maintain a presence in the region.
Israel's decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Somaliland does not constitute a violation of international law, nor does it present a threat to peace. Quite the opposite, in fact. Israel's recognition of Somaliland reaffirms the international legal principle of self-determination and promotes peace in the spirit of the Abraham Accords. In contrast, the international community's ongoing support for the Palestinians' decades of terrorism and ineptitude violates international law and compromises regional peace. Hopefully, other countries will do what Israel has and give Somaliland the diplomatic treatment it deserves.
