ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Acting UN Ambassador Usman Jadoon this week rejected Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region by describing it as a unilateral and unlawful move, saying Islamabad stands opposed to any plans aimed at forcefully displacing Palestinians from Gaza.
Last week, Israel announced it had recognized Somaliland, a breakaway African region that declared independence from Somalia in 1991. The move sparked anger among Muslim states, with 21 Islamic nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rejecting Israel’s move collectively in a joint statement last week.
Several international news outlets months earlier reported that Israel had contacted Somaliland over the potential resettlement of Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza. Muslim countries fear Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region could be part of its plan to relocate Palestinians forcibly from Gaza to the region.
“We strongly condemn the unilateral and unlawful recognition by Israel of the ‘Somaliland’ region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” Jadoon, Pakistan’s acting permanent representative to the UN, said at a meeting of the Security Council on Monday.
“It is a direct assault on Somalia’s internationally recognized borders and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”
