CAIRO, December 28, 2025 (WAFA) — The Arab League on Sunday convened an emergency meeting of permanent representatives at the request of Somalia to discuss Israel's recognition of the Somaliland region in Somalia as an independent country.
The meeting was held at the League's headquarters and chaired by the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki and representatives of member states.
The Palestinian delegation was headed by Palestine's Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, along with Senior Counselor Tamer Al-Tayeb.
Al-Aklouk reaffirmed Palestine's full support for the unity, sovereignty, and political independence of the Federal Republic of Somalia, in line with international law, the United Nations Charter, and resolutions of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
He stressed Palestine's rejection and condemnation of Israel's recognition of part of Somalia’s territory, describing it as an illegal act by an occupying power that undermines Somalia’s unity and stability and supports separatism.
He said the move is part of Israel’s broader attempts, as a colonial power, to destabilize regional and international peace and security, warning that it violates peremptory norms of international law and the principle of respect for states’ territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.
Al-Aklouk called on the international community, the UN Security Council, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the African Union to take legal, economic, political, and diplomatic measures against Israel, including economic boycotts, activating international accountability mechanisms, and freezing Israel’s participation in the UN General Assembly in accordance with Arab League resolutions.
He also warned that Israel has previously sought to use Somaliland within plans aimed at forcibly displacing the Palestinian people, particularly from the Gaza Strip, reaffirming Palestine’s absolute rejection of any forced displacement schemes under any name or pretext.
Somalia’s Ambassador to the Arab League, Ali Abdi Aware, said Israel’s announced recognition of the northwestern region of Somalia was an aggressive, provocative, and entirely rejected act that constitutes a grave violation of international law, UN resolutions, and the charters of the Arab League and the African Union.
He stressed that the move is null and void and will not alter the established fact that the region referred to as “Somaliland” is an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, adding that Somalia’s unity is non-negotiable. He warned that the step reflects a broader Israeli approach aimed at fueling instability, supporting separatist tendencies, and advancing plans linked to the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Aware affirmed that Somalia will not be part of any effort to displace the Palestinian people and pledged that, during Somalia’s 2025–2026 membership in the UN Security Council and its presidency in January 2026, his country will work to thwart such plans and confront Israeli ambitions.
He called on Arab states to take firm positions against repeated Israeli violations that threaten Arab national security and maritime security in the Red Sea.
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