ISRAEL is facing an international backlash to its sudden recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as a state on Friday.

Tel Aviv is the first country to recognise Somaliland, which has ruled itself since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991. 

While war-torn, it occupies a strategic location on the Gulf of Aden, across the sea from Yemen, and next to Djibouti, which hosts multiple foreign military bases including for the United States, France and China — all of which consider the waterway a key trade route.

A joint statement by more than 20 mostly Middle Eastern or African countries and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation on Saturday rejected Israel’s recognition “given the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole.”

The statement also rejected “any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land.”

US and Israeli officials have previously disclosed that Tel Aviv had approached Somaliland as a possible resettlement zone for Palestinians expelled from Gaza. US endorsement for the idea was never clear, and on Saturday Washington confirmed that it recognised the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had signed a joint declaration with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” an initiative dating from US President Donald Trump’s first term formalising relations between Israel and many states in the Arab world which have never recognised its legitimacy.

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said yesterday the Israeli move was a “naked invasion” and would encourage armed separatist movements across the world. Prime Minister Hamza Barre suggested Israel was seeking a military toehold in Africa.

The United Nations security council has called an emergency session for Monday to discuss the implications of Israel’s move, which has also been condemned by the African Union.