In the geopolitical global village, as in real estate, “Location, location, location,” can serve as a crucial factor in sealing a deal. This came to mind following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise declaration on December 26 that Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent, sovereign state.
In case you didn’t rush to look at a map, here’s a summary: Somaliland, an area of some 177,000 sq. km. and home to a population of just over six million, is located at a strategic spot in the Horn of Africa, on the Gulf of Aden, across from Yemen.
That’s where Houthi jihadist forces try to impose a stranglehold on the narrow Bab al-Mandab gateway between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and have launched missile attacks on Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and international shipping. It is bordered by Somalia (which claims ownership of Somaliland), landlocked Ethiopia (which in 2024 signed an agreement with Somaliland aimed at gaining access to the sea), Eritrea, and Djibouti.
When I heard that Israel had officially recognized Somaliland and was only the second country to do so, I immediately guessed that the first country had been Taiwan (which shamefully is not recognized by the UN). Israel and Taiwan have several similar reasons for the Somaliland ties, although coming from different directions.
The Jewish state appreciates the importance of having an ally in the area to help in the battle against Islamist extremists, including the Houthis in Yemen, and forming an alliance against the Iranian, Russian, and Turkish influences in the area. Taiwan (the Republic of China), diplomatically isolated, is desperate for friends – or at least allies – as the People’s Republic of China continues to threaten it. Just this week, China ramped up its aggressive military drills encircling the island state.
Somaliland is considered stable, democratic
Somalia claims Somaliland as its own in a similar way to China’s insistence that Taiwan is an integral part of the People’s Republic. Taiwan is a super successful, modern state with a thriving economy and robust democracy, while Somaliland, although poor, is considered stable and democratic, especially when compared to its neighbors.
Since it declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has remarkably managed to avoid most of the problems that beset the larger country. Hence, you might think that granting Somaliland recognition would be praiseworthy, but country after country denounced the Israel-Somaliland ties.
The condemnations say a lot about the state of the world, and none of it is good.
A BBC report read: “Israel has taken the controversial decision to recognize the breakaway state of Somaliland as an independent nation, sparking condemnation from many other countries.
“Israel became the first in the world to do so on Friday, more than 30 years after the region declared independence from Somalia.”
This isn’t just the inherent BBC bias we have become so used to. It also completely ignores the existence of Taiwan, in line with China’s “One Country, Two Systems” demands.
The declaration of Israel-Somaliland ties – a declaration of peace and friendship between the Jewish state and a Muslim country – even ignited an emergency UN Security Council debate. Think about it: Not war, but peace was considered an emergency. In the doublespeak words of the UN itself: “The UN Security Council meets today to hear a briefing on threats to international peace and security following Israel’s recent recognition of the northern region of Somalia as an independent and sovereign state.”
To understand why the Security Council was so triggered, consider its composition: the five permanent members are China, Russia, France, the UK, and the US. Somalia itself is among the 10 non-permanent members, elected for a two-year term, along with other luminaries of peace and human rights, including Algeria (whose term ended in December) and Pakistan.
The Danish speaker to the Security Council summed up the tone of the meeting with a warning against setting a “dangerous precedent” that may exacerbate tensions in the Horn of Africa. Denmark might be talking about Somaliland while worrying about Greenland, over which it retains overall control. Certain countries are concerned that it could cause some kind of diplomatic chain reaction. China’s delegate, for example, stressed “Somaliland is an integral part of Somali territory.”
Contrast this to the broad international move to recognize a Palestinian state – even without defined borders, lacking a democratically elected government, with no independent economy, and most jarringly serving to reward the Hamas terrorist mega-atrocity of October 7, 2023. In fact, the Palestinian struggle literally shot to fame through terrorism, including the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, and practically writing the book on hijacking. That might be why you’ve heard so much about the Palestinians but not of Somalilanders.
According to the UN, “Israel’s announcement sparked broad regional and international pushback, including statements by Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as a joint statement by 20 Middle Eastern and African countries rejecting and condemning the action. Regional organizations and partners – including the League of Arab States, the Eastern African Community, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the European Union – reiterated the need to respect Somalia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
World hypocrisy is astounding.
Somaliland-Israel ties could benefit both partners. The footage of celebrations in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, was heartwarming, with Israel’s blue-and-white Star of David raised alongside Somaliland’s red, green, and white flag emblazoned with Islam’s “Shahada” in Arabic calligraphy.
In his video call to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, Netanyahu said: “The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy.”
He also noted that the agreement is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of US President Donald Trump. Trump, for his part, brushed off the diplomatic declaration, asking in a New York Post interview on Friday: “Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?”
Nonetheless, in an interview with The Guardian in May, the Somaliland president said that US military officials, including the Horn of Africa’s most senior officer, had recently visited Hargeisa and Project 2025, considered by many to be a blueprint for Trump’s second presidency, proposed the recognition of Somaliland as a “hedge against the US’s deteriorating position in Djibouti.”
Somaliland has even been touted as a possible place of asylum for Palestinians from Gaza who want to escape the war-torn Strip, although I have doubts about the wisdom of such a move.
Just as the US is offering support to Taiwan while not officially recognizing it, so too is the Trump administration apparently moving its focus away from the Somali regime in Mogadishu.
Asher Lubotzky, a senior research fellow at the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, wrote in The Jerusalem Post this week: “Crucially, Somaliland is not merely well located – it is willing. Its leadership has actively sought security and economic cooperation with Western-aligned states such as the United States, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, and now Israel. This distinguishes it from alternatives in the region...
“There is also a larger geopolitical dimension. Somaliland has positioned itself as explicitly opposed to Chinese and Turkish subversion in the Horn of Africa and as open to deeper integration with Western security architectures, including the Abraham Accords.
“In an era when great-power competition increasingly plays out along maritime chokepoints and fragile states, ignoring a stable, cooperative actor in such a critical location is not strategic caution – it is strategic neglect.”
Now that Israel has dared point out the way, the world should bravely switch from asking “Where is Somaliland?” to recognizing that it is metaphorically going places – and has a lot going for it.