Why Israel should care about Somaliland. By The Jerusalem Post

With the changes in the geopolitical context of the region, knitting together Israel, the UAE, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt in a network of shared interests, Somaliland could be an important region.Somaliland, a small country on the southern short of the Gulf of Aden that declared independence in the 1990s and is generally viewed as part of Somalia, is an example of an emerging stable region with economic potential and strategic significance in the Horn of Africa. Based on recent conversations with those knowledgeable about the area, the Covid-19 crisis and recent developments in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates present an opportunity to look at Somaliland and its region as a place that Jerusalem and the Middle East should pay more interest in.

The region’s economy is based on livestock, some of which is exported to Saudi Arabia. Hargeisa, the capital with a population of 1.9 million, is more developed than the rest of the country. English and Arabic are the dominant second languages for most people.

With the changes in the geopolitical context of the region, knitting together Israel, the UAE, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt in a more closer network of shared interests, Somaliland could be an important region for this shared group of countries. Because it has kept extremism away and also plays an important role in the Horn of Africa across from Yemen, it is of growing importance to countries on the Indian ocean and across the Middle East.

 
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