Why Did Israel Recognize Somaliland?

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00:00On Friday, Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent state

00:06rather than part of Somalia's territory.

00:09The decision was met with widespread condemnation from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and from Turkey

00:15and many other regional countries as well, who view it as an attempt to destabilise Somalia

00:20and could potentially lead to another conflict.

00:24Now, we know that Turkey has huge investments and long-standing relationships with Somalia

00:28and some commentators are viewing this as an attempt to disrupt Turkey's activities in that part of Africa.

00:37Dan, why has Israel decided to take this decision now?

00:43Well, I'm not sure why Israel decided to take the decision now,

00:46but it's a very logical decision from Israel's perspective and hardly because of Turkey.

00:52It's more because of where Somaliland is situated.

00:56First of all, Israel has a general policy that any Muslim nation or Muslim majority nation

01:02that reaches out its hand in peace and war from Israel will receive a very warm response.

01:08And so, you know, it kind of in, you know, whether you call it the Abraham Accords

01:12or whether you call it general Israel's proactive foreign policy in that regard.

01:17Secondly, you know, it's kind of ironic to hear claims of destabilisation

01:22when Somaliland seems to be the only stable, functioning, semi-democratic

01:27and certainly not a harbour or, you know, a function of radical Islam in that part of the region.

01:35So you're talking about the only stable part, a part that is a different tribe

01:39from the rest of the greater Somali region.

01:44And I find it almost ironic, maybe comical, that the same forces that seem to be very aggressively,

01:51you know, criticizing Israel, even pushing Israel or boycotting Israel

01:55over its unwillingness to recognise any kind of Palestinian independence

02:01are the same ones denying the Somalilanders independence in that regard.

02:06And so I think here, everyone should be here working together.

02:10If anything, I would see it as Israeli move geopolitically in terms of its closeness

02:16and proximity to Yemen and to the entrance to the Suez Canal,

02:20where Israeli shipping has been threatened over recent years.

02:24And of course, as the Houthis have declared themselves to be a strategic threat to Israel,

02:28it's much closer.

02:29And of course, Israel has long had positive ties with Ethiopia,

02:33who has strong relations with Somaliland behind the scenes of the UAE, as does well.

02:39And so, yes, there might be kind of a chess match.

02:43I've heard this described by some Israeli analysts, a chess match move vis-à-vis Turkey

02:47in its regional positioning.

02:49But I would view it more as just a broader expansion of Israeli interests

02:53and more in the Yemen context than in the Turkish context.