Sixteen countries, including Pakistan, have strongly condemned Israel’s decision to appoint a diplomatic representative to Somaliland, a move they described as a serious breach of Somalia’s sovereignty. The dispute over the Israel envoy to Somaliland announcement has added to tensions in the Horn of Africa and drawn a coordinated response from several Muslim-majority states.
The joint statement, shared by Pakistan’s Foreign Office and signed by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Türkiye, Indonesia, and Kuwait, said the move violates Somalia’s unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
The coalition called Israel’s action a “flagrant violation” of the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It also said the step runs against international law, the UN Charter, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.
Although Somaliland has operated as a de facto independent region since 1991, it is not internationally recognised. Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu considers direct diplomatic engagement with Somaliland an infringement on its national borders. The statement further warned that unilateral diplomatic steps of this kind could set a dangerous precedent and deepen instability across the Horn of Africa.
In a separate development, Israeli forces reportedly stopped several Palestinian students from reaching their schools near occupied East Jerusalem. The incident took place at the Al-Shayah Checkpoint, located between Al-Sawahra Al-Gharbiya and Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiya.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the children were between 7 and 15 years old and could not cross because authorities allegedly left their names off an approved list. Local residents condemned the move and urged human rights organisations to pressure Israeli authorities to reopen the crossing. They said the closure stopped the students from joining their classmates in Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiya and deepened concerns about access to education in the area.
