Israel to Recognize Somaliland?

No, Somaliland is not a theme park. It is a breakaway province of Somali which unlike the rest of the country is actually under a government and a broad order. For all intents and purposes, it is its own country and its own state. But the real Somali government (which isn't much of one) does not recognize them, naturally, and neither does the international community which is trying to prop up the latter and restore order to the majority areas of Somali which are lawless and serving as grounds for Islamic fundamentalist radicals and maybe even terrorists.

somalilandmap JzsN7 19672

Somaliland is desperate for any recognition and will accept any offer. And equally desperate nations will reach out to it in order to aid their position in the world by adding to their list of supporters. And Somaliland will certainly make itself useful to any nation that recognizes it - such as voting alongside it at the United Nations. It may finally get some recognition:

>In early February, Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, reportedly told the Somalia media that Israel was prepared to recognize the breakaway territory of Somaliland, which split from Somalia in 1991, as an independent nation. If that happened, Israel would be the first country to recognize Somaliland, which is strategically located on the Gulf of Aden. There have been reports, all unconfirmed, that Israel has its eye on setting up a naval outpost at the port of Berbera to monitor the approaches to the Red Sea. The Soviet military established a naval port there in 1969 during the Cold War, along with an airfield capable of handling all types of military and cargo aircraft.

It is a reflection of Israel's self-inflicted isolation and de-legitimization that it is resorting to such tactics of pointless recognition in order to add one meaningless vote (out of six) of support at the UN. That it is desperate for friends. Of course, Israeli recognition of Somaliland will be futile because it will humiliate Israel as a desperate nation while simultaneously providing no benefits toward the Jewish state since Somaililand will win neither a UN seat nor any international recognition (not even American most likely) just because Israel recognizes it.

And Israel will not be able to obtain any military benefits since Arab - not even U.S. clients and supporters of Zionism - will allow Israel to build a foreign military base anywhere in the region. And the simple Israeli statement of such an intention will further undermine Israel's image as a war-monger and aggressive state. Why would Israel need a Red Sea base in Somililand? Is the nation now outsourcing aggression?

As a part of this story, a few months back the Israeli occupation air force bombed a corridor of trucks in Sudan is accused of carrying Iranian weapons to Hamas. The Red Sea base would be directed toward similar action.