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Hersi Ali Haji Hassan tells Al Jazeera that Hargeisa had ‘no choice’ but to question designation from Tel Aviv aft 34 years of isolation.
A elder authoritative from Somaliland’s governing enactment has fiercely defended the breakaway region’s determination to normalise relations with Israel, dismissing wide condemnation from the Arab and Muslim satellite arsenic hypocritical.
In a heated interrogation with Al Jazeera Mubasher connected Wednesday, Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, president of the ruling Waddani party, argued that Somaliland was forced to look to Israel for legitimacy aft being ignored by the planetary assemblage for decades.
The comments travel a arguable sojourn by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Hargeisa, the region’s largest metropolis and “capital”, earlier this week – the archetypal since Israel recognised the region’s independency successful precocious December.
“We are not successful a presumption to choose,” Hassan told Al Jazeera. “We are successful a authorities of necessity for authoritative planetary recognition.
“There is nary prime earlier america but to invited immoderate state that recognises our existential right,” helium added.
‘They ignored america for 34 years’
The sojourn has triggered a diplomatic firestorm. The national authorities successful Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland portion of its territory, condemned the determination arsenic a usurpation of sovereignty. The Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) besides issued statements rejecting the “separatist reality”.
Hassan, however, brushed disconnected the criticism.
“We person been an autarkic authorities for 34 years,” helium said. “The rejection of the Arab League does not substance to america astatine all. They did not judge america arsenic a subordinate … and we did not person immoderate attraction from Arab countries.”
When pressed connected wherefore Somaliland would state with Israel portion it is isolated successful the region, Hassan pointed to different Arab nations.
“Normalisation with Israel is not constricted to Somaliland,” helium argued. “Many Arab and Islamic countries person wide governmental and economical relations with Israel, specified arsenic Egypt, Turkiye, Jordan, and the UAE.”
The subject basal question
Regional powers are acrophobic that the caller confederation could pb to an Israeli subject foothold astatine the confederate entranceway to the Red Sea.
When asked repeatedly if Somaliland would let Israel to found a subject basal connected its soil, Hassan refused to regularisation it retired explicitly.
“We person started diplomatic relations… This taxable [a subject base] has not been touched upon now,” Hassan said.
Pressed further connected whether Hargeisa would judge specified a petition successful the future, helium replied: “Ask the question erstwhile the clip comes… The question is untimely.”
He insisted that the narration is presently diplomatic and economic, aimed astatine securing planetary legitimacy.
‘Political, not religious’
The interrogation grew tense erstwhile the treatment turned to the warfare connected Gaza. The anchor Ahmed Taha challenged Hassan connected the morality of forging ties with a authorities accused of genocide, asking however helium could disregard the suffering of “two cardinal besieged Palestinians”.
Hassan sought to abstracted the governmental woody from spiritual solidarity, claiming that the warfare successful Gaza had “stopped” pursuing a US-brokered inaugural successful October 2025 – a notation to a caller ceasefire woody championed by United States President Donald Trump. Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians successful Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
“We woody with Israel politically,” Hassan said. “Political dealing is not thing religion forbids… Our stance connected the Palestinian radical is akin to the stance of Arab and Islamic countries.
“We are acold from these problems,” helium added. “We are looking for planetary recognition… That is the key.”
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