Speaking in a tense interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher on Wednesday, Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of the governing Waddani Party, said Somaliland turned to Israel in its search for international recognition after decades of neglect by the global community
A senior official of Somaliland’s ruling party has strongly defended the breakaway region’s decision to normalise relations with Israel, brushing aside widespread criticism from the Arab and Muslim world as hypocritical.
Speaking in a tense interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher on Wednesday, Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of the governing Waddani Party, said Somaliland turned to Israel in its search for international recognition after decades of neglect by the global community.
The remarks come after a controversial visit earlier this week by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Hargeisa, Somaliland’s largest city and self-declared capital the first such visit since Israel recognised the region’s independence in late December.
“We are not in a position to choose,” Hassan told Newsmen. “We urgently need formal international recognition.
“There is no option before us except to welcome any country that acknowledges our right to exist,” he added.
Responding to questions about why Somaliland would align with Israel despite its regional isolation, Hassan pointed to precedents among Arab states.
“Normalisation with Israel is not unique to Somaliland,” he said. “Several Arab and Muslim countries maintain extensive political and economic ties with Israel, including Egypt, Türkiye, Jordan, and the UAE.”
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