Israel’s Dec. 26 decision to recognize Somaliland is sparking international controversy, with members of the United Nations Security Council sharply criticizing the move. 

Isolated internationally over the Gaza war, Israel has sought to broaden support, particularly within the Arab and Muslim world.

Deflecting internal criticism within Israel over its international isolation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted on several occasions that he was working to expand the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Still, with most of the international community opposed to such a move, Netanyahu’s recognition of Somaliland risks doing more harm than good to Israel’s international standing. No other country has expressed any intention of following Israel’s footsteps in recognizing Somaliland.

Advisers to Netanyahu argued over the weekend that the recognition of Somaliland would assist Israel in its battle against the Houthis in Yemen. They also said it could counter the growing influence of Iran and Turkey in the Horn of Africa. That being said, over the past four years, the Mossad has established contacts with senior security and political officials in Somaliland, Maariv reported. Experts now suggest that transforming the covert relations into open ones could actually narrow the scope of cooperation. What might be easy to advance secretly might be difficult to advance in the open. 

Decades of quiet ties