JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's decision to officially recognize the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland amid international condemnation.
"Why not support a democratic moderate country that wants to join the Abraham Accords? I think everyone should do that," Netanyahu said when asked about the reasons behind the decision, which triggered a wave of harsh reactions from many Muslim-majority countries and Europe, in an interview with Newsmax on the sidelines of a visit to the United States, quoted from The Times of Israel (31/12).
"Somaliland has six million people, moderate Muslims, they want to join the Abraham Accords, and I think that's very good," he said.
"They are democrats, they have had elections," he said, comparing it to "other parts of Somalia, which are mixed up, have had Al-Shabaab terrorists there, never had elections for, I don't know, decades, there have been many terrorists coming there."
Following Netanyahu's announcement of the move last week, Channel 12 reported that the prospect of a relationship between Israel and Somaliland emerged as Israel sought countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza during the war with Hamas.
Another major motivation for Israel to deepen ties with Somaliland is its proximity to Yemen, whose access will make it easier for Israel to carry out attacks and spy on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Israel became the first country in the world last Friday to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state, triggering international rejection of the move by many countries in Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey, which was also part of a statement released by Qatar a day later, quoted by Anadolu.
Somaliland, which has not received official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, operates as an administratively, politically, and security entity that is de facto independent, with the central government unable to enforce control over the territory, while its leadership cannot obtain international recognition for its independence.
The Somali government refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, considers it an integral part of its territory, and views any agreement or direct involvement with it as a violation of the country's sovereignty and unity.
"Somaliland has been claiming the issue of secession for a long time, for the last three decades, and no country in the world has recognized it," Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview from Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday.
"For us, we have tried to reunite this country in a peaceful way," he continued.
"So, after 34 years, it is very unexpected and strange that Israel, suddenly, intervened and said, 'We recognize Somaliland'," said President Mohamud.
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