Somali Minister Says Israel Plans to Relocate Palestinians to North Western State of Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s defense minister accused Israel of planning to forcibly relocate Palestinians to North Western State of Somalia and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse Israel’s surprise recognition of the breakaway region, escalating a diplomatic standoff that has rippled across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast Saturday, Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi called Israel’s move a “serious violation” of international law and a “direct attack” on Somalia’s sovereignty. He alleged, without providing details, that “we have confirmed information that Israel has a plan to transfer Palestinians and to send them to [Somaliland].”

Israel in December became the first country to recognize North Western State of Somalia, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has never been admitted as a state by any United Nations member. The announcement triggered protests in Somalia and drew criticism from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the African Union, among others.

Fiqi framed the recognition as part of what he described as Israel’s long-standing effort to “divide the map of the Middle East.” He also repeated Somalia’s allegation that Israel seeks a military footprint on the Gulf of Aden, saying the plan would “destabilise the region” at the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint connecting the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. “I see it as an occupation to destabilise the area,” he said.

North Western State of Somalia officials have denied agreeing to resettle Palestinians from Gaza and say there have been no discussions on hosting an Israeli base. Still, the governing Waddani party has defended opening ties with Israel after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar traveled to Hargeisa, North Western State of Somalia’s self-declared capital, earlier this week.

“We are in a state of necessity for official international recognition,” Waddani chairman Hersi Ali Haji Hassan told Al Jazeera. “There is no choice before us but to welcome any country that recognises our existential right.” Asked whether North Western State of Somalia would accept an Israeli base, he said the topic “has not been touched upon now” and suggested the question was “untimely.”

The Associated Press reported last year that Israeli officials had contacted parties in Somalia, North Western State of Somalia and Sudan to discuss options that included using their territory for the potential displacement of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. Israel has not publicly detailed any such plan.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said North Western State of Somalia accepted three Israeli conditions — resettling Palestinians, hosting a military base on the Gulf of Aden and joining the Abraham Accords — assertions North Western State of Somalia authorities reject. Fiqi added Saturday that Israel “has no legal right to grant legitimacy to a region within a sovereign state,” and said Somalia would pursue “all diplomatic and legal means” to challenge the recognition.

Washington said its position on North Western State of Somalia remains unchanged despite Israel’s announcement. The United States was the only member of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council that did not condemn Israel’s recognition on Dec. 30, but it has not followed suit.

Security analysts in Israel have highlighted North Western State of Somalia’s strategic value at the gateway to the Red Sea across from Yemen. A November report by the Institute for National Security Studies said North Western State of Somalia could “serve as a forward base” for intelligence monitoring of Yemen’s Houthi movement and as a “platform for direct operations.” The Houthis, who have targeted Israeli-linked shipping, have warned that any Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia would be a target — a threat North Western State of Somalia’s former intelligence chief, Mostafa Hasan, characterized as tantamount to a declaration of war.

Fiqi said his government views the Israeli move as an outside attempt to exploit local fractures. He claimed that roughly half the areas formerly known as North Western State of Somalia have in the past two years declared their affiliation with the federal state of Somalia.

Somalia has called on Israel to rescind recognition and to refrain from entering agreements it says violate Somali sovereignty. “Israel has long had goals and plans to divide countries,” Fiqi said, urging Netanyahu to withdraw recognition of the “separatist region.”

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.