Somaliland troops parade in Hargeisa, Somaliland, on 18 May 2024<\/p>\n
A Somaliland official has reportedly said that the breakaway region could host an Israeli<\/a> military base, despite a previous denial that it would make such a move.<\/p>\n Last month, Israel became the first country to officially recognise<\/a> Somaliland as a state.<\/p>\n Following the decision, Somaliland authorities officially denied an accusation by Somalia that their state would accept Palestinians forcibly displaced from Gaza, or that it would host an Israeli military base on its soil.<\/p>\n However, Israeli media reported<\/a> on Thursday that a base was being discussed.<\/p>\n Israel’s Channel 12 news cited\u00a0Deqa Qasim, an official in Hargeisa\u2019s foreign ministry, as saying that a military base was being spoken about, though it would depend upon the content of an agreement between both sides, following the opening of mutual embassies.<\/p>\n Qasim also said that Somaliland’s security ties with Israel would involve fighting terror and include naval cooperation.<\/p>\n On Tuesday,\u00a0Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, made an official visit<\/a> to Somaliland.<\/p>\n Saar was pictured meeting Somaliland\u2019s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, as he declared in an official statement that “unlike ‘Palestine’, Somaliland is not a virtual state”.<\/p>\n Saar added that Somaliland was \u201cpro-western and friendly to Israel\u201d, and that\u00a0Israel and Somaliland would cooperate on strategic partnerships in the medical, defence, education and water sectors.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the coming months, we’ll bring local professionals from Somaliland’s water sector to Israel for training,\u201d Saar said. \u201cWe’ll also send Israeli experts here to help implement new capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere, a senior figure from Somaliland\u2019s ruling party has denied that talks are under way with Israel over establishing a military base in the territory, but stopped short of ruling it out.<\/p>\n In an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher on Wednesday, Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of the ruling Waddani party, said: \u201cWe have started diplomatic relations\u2026 This topic [a military base] has not been touched upon now.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed on whether the breakaway Somali region would consider such a request in the future, Hassan replied: \u201cAsk the question when the time comes\u2026 The question is untimely.\u201d<\/p>\n Hassan insisted that relations with Israel remain strictly diplomatic and economic, though it remains unclear what economic ties, if any, exist between the two sides.<\/p>\n He also dismissed regional opposition to the breakaway province.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rejection of the Arab League does not matter to us at all. They did not accept us as a member \u2026 and we did not receive any attention from Arab countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNormalisation with Israel is not limited to Somaliland,\u201d Hassan added. \u201cMany Arab and Islamic countries have broad political and economic relations with Israel, such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and the UAE.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked to justify recognition of Israel amid the Gaza genocide, Hassan claimed the war had \u201cstopped\u201d, despite Israel\u2019s ongoing siege of the enclave and near-daily killings of Palestinian civilians since the so-called ceasefire took effect in October.<\/p>\n \u201cWe deal with Israel politically,\u201d Hassan said. \u201cPolitical dealing is not something religion forbids\u2026 Our stance on the Palestinian people is similar to the stance of Arab and Islamic countries.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are far from these problems,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are looking for international recognition\u2026 That is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n Somalia’s foreign ministry condemned the Israeli visit to Somaliland, saying it was a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n On 26 December, Israel became the first country in the world to formally recognise Somaliland, an autonomous region of Somalia and a former British protectorate.<\/p>\n In the wake of the announcement,\u00a0protests erupted<\/a>\u00a0in Somaliland, with videos showing people on the streets of Boroma, about 50km west of Hargeisa, waving Palestinian flags and chanting \u201cFree, free Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\nMilitary base not ruled out by ruling party<\/strong><\/h2>\n