Douglas Altabef is chairman of the board of Im Tirtzu and a director of the Israel Independence Fund. He can be reached at: dougaltabef@gmail.com.
(JNS) What does it mean when much of the world, certainly most of the Islamist and communist worlds, has a conniption when one little country chooses to recognize another little one?
This, of course, is playing out following the unprecedented-and to date, unmatched-formal recognition of Somaliland by Israel.
An interested observer might offer the astute comment of “Why is anyone caring about this diplomatic shot in the dark? Why would Israel even care enough to bestow recognition?”
Fair questions indeed, but, actually, small, seemingly insignificant gestures might actually carry significant import. I would argue that Israel has just made a diplomatic move worthy of the great statesmen of history.
While U.S. President Donald Trump is angling for a Nobel Prize, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be seeking the mantle of Metternich for his diplomatic chess maneuvers.
The fact that there has been so much condemnation of the recognition itself is telling as to the reality that there is significance there-significance in at least two important regards.
The first concerns Somaliland. It is a breakaway province that declared its autonomy and independence from Somalia in 1991, following 10 years of fighting. Now, what’s particularly interesting here is that, unlike many splits among Third World countries, the two nations have taken very different paths.
Somaliland has been exceptional in not pursuing a jihadist, Islamist agenda. Instead, it has followed a more Western orientation featuring a constitution overwhelmingly ratified by its citizenry. That constitution provides for elections and a government with a president and a legislature.
In other words, it has unabashedly opted for a democratic, freedom-loving society that should make all those eager to see better governance among African nations proud indeed. Recognizing Somaliland cannot, therefore, be seen as an exercise in holding one’s nose and making a deal with the devil. It’s quite the opposite.
Of course, this is only a small part of the story. What makes Somaliland of such interest to so many is what the linkage of Israel with it might be portending. After all, Somaliland is in an immensely strategic location.
Somaliland sits smack-dab on the Gulf of Aden, just south of the highly contentious Bab-el-Mandab Strait that separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. Yemen sits directly to the east of Somaliland, with frontage on all three bodies of water.
Thus, Somaliland is close to the sight of naval hijackings and close to the Houthis, responsible for so many of those hijackings.
Interestingly, while Somaliland has no armed forces to speak of, it does have a large airport-Egal International Airport in the capital of Hargeisa-originally built in the 1970s by the Soviet Union as a strategic foil to Western interests.
This airport has been enlarged, with several underground and hardened hangars added to the few built in 2021. There is no official attribution as to who has been undertaking these strategic enhancements, but it is known that since 2017, the United Arab Emirates has been actively involved in using these facilities to serve as a logistics hub for supporting factions in Sudan and Yemen that are allied with it.
These activities all attest to the strategic centrality that Somaliland enjoys. Somaliland is sitting in the eye of the shipping hurricane that is merely 300 kilometers from Yemen.
But this centrality did not exorcise the world before Israel chose to recognize the republic. So clearly, the hot button is the connection between the two and what it might portend.
And here is where the second significant aspect of the new relationship comes into play: What benefit did Israel see coming from the recognition?
I would suggest that there is diplomatic, as well as military significance, that Israel envisions coming from an enhanced relationship with Somaliland. Israel can be proud to be bestowing recognition on a democracy, one that has spurned an Islamist agenda. Somaliland could very well join the Abraham Accords, especially because it also enjoys a good relationship with the UAE, an Abraham Accords member.
Most likely, it is the military significance that has stirred the fear and loathing of so many countries. The most obvious potential implication is for the ongoing Israeli effort to contain and to defang the Houthis. Israeli planes have had to make 2,000-kilometer flights to engage Houthi targets.
Utilizing Somaliland facilities could be a game-changer. Even the possibility of their availability could have an impact.
Much of the reaction of hostile countries must be seen as an exercise in projection. They are condemning the idea that Israel could have reach and influence, something that China, Russia, Iran and Turkey all live for.
To see little Israel extend its net in this way is galling. It is also proof positive of Israel’s standing as a strong horse-perhaps the strong horse in the region. Israel acted purely on its own, without American approval or cooperation. That, too, is impressive and of concern to those condemning the recognition.
Israel stands guilty, in the eyes of its enemies, of turning Somaliland into a passive proxy. That, of course, is ridiculous, though maybe an ally indeed.
Another possible wrinkle to the new relationship-one of particular interest to the United States-is whether Somaliland might be induced to accept Gazans seeking refuge.
Whatever the actual implications of the new relationship, it shows great promise for both countries. Israel has deftly displayed generosity, high-minded concern for a fellow democracy and a shrewd assessment of the realpolitik possibilities of the new relationship.
Those who reflexively demean the efforts of Israel to assert itself in the world must step back and see how beneficial this step is likely to be.