Several countries, including Pakistan, at the United Nations have questioned whether Israel’s move to recognise Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland is aimed at forcibly relocating Palestinians from Gaza or to establish military bases.
Pakistan has stated that Israel’s “unlawful recognition” is “deeply troubling” against the backdrop of previous references to it being a “destination for the deportation of Palestinian people, especially from Gaza”. The remarks were made by Pakistan’s Deputy UN Ambassador Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday.
In his remarks, Jadoon said, “Against the backdrop of Israel’s previous references to ‘Somaliland’ of the Federal Republic of Somalia as a destination for the deportation of Palestinian people, especially from Gaza, its unlawful recognition of ‘Somaliland’ region is deeply troubling.“
In March, the Associated Press reported that the US and Israel had reached out to officials in Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for forcibly relocating Palestinians from Gaza.
“For decades, Israel’s dispossession and occupation of Palestinian land have been a central source of instability and conflict in the Middle East. It is now exporting this destabilising conduct to the Horn of Africa, with serious implications for regional peace and security,” he said.
He said that Pakistan unequivocally rejected any proposals or plans aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians. He noted that a previous UNSC resolution had endorsed US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, noting that it stated that “no one will be forced to leave Gaza”.
