Why Saudi Arabia rejects Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
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During the Cabinet session held on Dec. 30, chaired by King Salman, Saudi Arabia reiterated “the Kingdom’s support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and safety of Somalia.” It expressed its rejection of “the declaration of mutual recognition between the Israeli occupation authorities and the so-called Somaliland region,” considering that this “legitimizes unilateral separatist measures that violate international law.”
Riyadh’s crystal-clear position considers that Israeli recognition, which results in a secession movement being supported by an external party, constitutes a precedent that the Kingdom does not accept becoming entrenched because international law is the arbiter and actions outside its framework are unacceptable.
International parameters according to the procedures recognized by the UN are what grant legitimacy, not the desires of states that are fundamentally persistent in violating international law, such as Israel, which acts as though it possesses an exception that authorizes it to become the master of the Middle East, drawing maps and determining what is permitted and what is prohibited. This is rogue behavior that the Kingdom views as a direct threat to stability, leading to more wars and the depletion of states’ economic resources in futile conflicts.
The Saudi Cabinet’s announcement acquired symbolic importance because the session was headed by King Salman. It also came after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Dec. 26 announcement, in which the Kingdom affirmed its “full support for the sovereignty of Somalia and for its unity and territorial integrity.” It also stressed its “rejection of any attempts to impose parallel entities that undermine Somalia’s unity.”
The Kingdom views this as a direct threat to stability, leading to more wars and the depletion of states’ economic resources
Hassan Al-Mustafa
This position is based on affirming the concept of the nation state, which possesses its full right to sovereignty over its territory through the legitimacy of its institutions and the unity of its land. From here, Saudi Arabia does not want this “state” to be shattered or divided, because that would mean going down a path in which every group of people, however small, would demand to have its own entity, even if it lacked the components to build an independent state.
Moreover, separatist tendencies, if allowed to flourish, lead to chaos and civil strife, thereby becoming prey to external interventions by regional powers, which find in local infighting an opportunity to enhance influence and obtain economic and security privileges. This is the main motive for Israel recognizing Somaliland — not out of a desire from Tel Aviv to support the citizens of this land, but because of the strategic location that grants it an opportunity to establish military bases and an intelligence presence overlooking the Bab Al-Mandab Strait. This gives Israel military and economic influence, something that Saudi Arabia sees as a direct threat to its national security.
This logic is shared by a wide group of Arab and Islamic countries, which expressed in a joint statement their “unequivocal rejection” of the Israeli recognition. Their statement warned of “the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security,” affirming that this reflects “Israel’s full and blatant disregard for international law.”
A position rejecting the Israeli recognition of Somaliland as an independent state was expressed not only by Saudi Arabia and a large number of Islamic countries, but also the UK. An official statement published on the British government’s website stated: “The United Kingdom reaffirms its support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia.” This wording leaves no room for interpretation — Britain does not go along with the unilateral Israeli recognition and reaffirms Somalia’s status as a single, indivisible state.
The Saudi position was also consistent with its constant emphasis on rejecting the division of the states surrounding it, whether in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia or Sudan, and in considering that the existence of separatist entities or states built on ethnic or sectarian affiliations promotes instability in the Middle East, which suffers from numerous crises, especially since efforts to establish peace in the region remain fragile.
The truce in the Gaza Strip could collapse at any time; Israel is continuing its violations of Syrian and Lebanese sovereignty and occupies territories in both countries; and there are fears of a return to direct war between Iran and Israel, with its wide negative repercussions for peace and security. Therefore, Riyadh’s position is not solely based on purely Saudi national interests, but also on the security and safety of the region as a whole — an interconnected security in which each part affects the other.
The Kingdom is thus working diligently to prevent the creation of a precedent for secessionist recognition, especially since Somaliland is located on a sensitive waterway. Saudi Arabia is also pushing for an Islamic, African and Arab consensus that links the issue directly to peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, rather than it being a local dispute that can be contained among the political parties in Somalia.
- Hassan Al-Mustafa is a Saudi writer and researcher interested in Islamic movements, the development of religious discourse, and the relationship between Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran. X: @Halmustafa
