As Somaliland reportedly edges closer to potential U.S. recognition,reports of a controversial deal to resettle forcibly displaced Palestinians from Gaza have sparked widespread outrage and warnings of regional instability.
According to Israeli and U.S. media,Somaliland has been in talks with Israel over hosting Palestinians expelled during Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza — an act widely condemned as ethnic cleansing. In exchange,the U.S. may consider recognizing Somaliland’s decades-long claim to independence from Somalia. However,the idea is proving politically toxic at home. As a recent analysis in Middle East Eye points out,Somalilanders,historically staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause,see the forced relocation as betrayal. “I am shocked to hear that,” said Mohamed,a Hargeisa resident. “Any attempt to forcefully bring them to Somaliland would mean the loss of their homeland.”
Analysts,including a researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS),Jethro Norman,warn the move could provoke a backlash from armed groups like al-Shabab and IS-Somalia,who may exploit anti-Israel sentiment and nationalist anger to boost recruitment. “It could also turn Somaliland into a geopolitical flashpoint,attracting destabilizing attention from the Houthis [in Yemen] and other actors,” warns Abdifatah Ismael Tahir,research fellow at the University of Manchester.
Even human rights advocates and local politicians caution the resettlement could breach international law and undermine Somaliland’s quest for legitimacy. “Any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza would not only violate that commitment but could also render Somaliland complicit in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said activist Guleid Ahmed Jama. While some Somaliland leaders welcome U.S. attention,silence on the relocation issue has only deepened public distrust. As debates rage,many in Somaliland warn that recognition based on Palestinian suffering may destroy the very peace they seek to preserve.
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