Replying to a question about taking in Gazans, a top official from the disputed African territory of Somaliland this week said its government is “open to discussing anything,” but only with governments that recognize its legitimacy.
The statement underlined how international horse-trading could facilitate U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to have Gazans relocate away from the Strip.
Abdirahman Dahir Adam Bakal, the minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of the Republic of Somaliland, made the statement to Israel’s Kan broadcaster in response to a question regarding a report about talks on relocating Gazans to Somaliland, a breakaway self-declared country with more than 6.2 million inhabitants that no U.N. member state or international organization officially recognizes.
Kan quoted Bakal as saying: “We are open to discussion on any matter, but we do not want to speculate on matters that have not yet been discussed. All countries that are interested in discussing certain issues with us must first establish working relations with us and open diplomatic missions in Somaliland.”
The public broadcaster published the quote in Hebrew. It did not indicate the original language in which it was made.
The query concerned a report by the Associated Press that Somaliland was among three African entities, along with Sudan and Somalia, that Israeli and U.S. officials have contacted in recent weeks about the possibility of taking in Gazans. According to AP, Sudanese officials declined to cooperate. In Somalia and Somaliland, officials told the news agency they were unaware of any negotiations concerning Gaza.
Trump and others from his administration have suggested in recent months that all or part of Gaza’s population should be relocated permanently or temporarily from the war-ravaged area. Israeli officials under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have embraced the plan and have participated in efforts to facilitate it despite objections from Arab countries and beyond.
Somaliland, one of the Horn of Africa’s stronger democracies, broke away from Somalia in 1991, existing as a de facto sovereign entity.
