Israel has defended its recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, as several countries at the United Nations questioned whether the move could be linked to plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza or establish Israeli military bases.
Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland on Friday, a move debated at the UN Security Council on Monday amid concerns raised by Arab and Muslim-majority states over Israel’s intentions.
The Arab League said it rejected “any measures arising from this illegitimate recognition aimed at facilitating forced displacement of the Palestinian people or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases,” according to its UN ambassador, Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz.
Pakistan’s deputy UN ambassador, Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, said Israel’s move was “deeply troubling,” citing previous references to Somaliland as a possible destination for Palestinians, particularly from Gaza.
Israel’s UN mission did not directly respond to those allegations during the meeting. Earlier this year, the foreign ministers of Somalia and Somaliland said they had not received any proposals to resettle Palestinians from Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza states that “no one will be forced to leave Gaza,” adding that those who choose to leave would be free to return.
Somalia’s UN ambassador, Abukar Dahir Osman, said several council members, including Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and Somalia, “unequivocally reject” any attempt to relocate Palestinians to Somaliland.
Israel rejected claims that its decision was hostile to Somalia. Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Miller told the council that recognition “is not an act of defiance” and does not preclude future dialogue between Somalia and Somaliland.
Somaliland has operated as a self-governing region since 1991, following Somalia’s descent into civil war, but has not previously been recognised by any UN member state.
The issue was also framed in contrast to Palestinian statehood. Slovenia’s UN ambassador, Samuel Žbogar, said recognising Somaliland violated the UN Charter, noting that the territory is part of a UN member state, while Palestine remains an illegally occupied territory.
Israel said it plans to pursue immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy. Somaliland officials hope the recognition will encourage other countries to follow suit, boosting its international standing and access to global markets.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplo...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with th...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings. Restoring trust, managing global transformation, peace and security, and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an unprecedented case of an AI system breaching a government network.
Pakistan says it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, targeting sites it said were used to store and launch drones, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries continued to escalate.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 24 September 2026, with five key developments from the second day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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