Israel claims it has had ‘certain communication’ with Somalia over alleged Houthi threat

[Deeq A.]

 

Israel says it has opened “certain communication” with Somalia amid claims linking Houthi activity to wider regional instability.

Somalia has distanced itself from Israel and criticised its war on Gaza [Getty]

Israel has opened “certain communication” with Somalia despite the two states having no diplomatic ties, according to new comments from Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who linked the contact to concerns over growing Houthi activity in the Horn of Africa.

Haskel’s remarks came in an interview with i24NEWS on Wednesday, where she warned that instability in the region could have wider international repercussions. Somalia is a member of the Arab League and has long rejected formal engagement with Israel.

“I think that the situation there is very dangerous,” she said, “and I think it will affect the rest of the world.”

“The Houthis are pushing them,” she continued. “Somalia will have a major effect on the economy, on fisheries, on maritime sea travel routes and goods that are passing through there.”

A UN report earlier this year referred to a “developing relationship” between Yemen’s Houthi movement and Al-Shabaab across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, though it did not detail the nature of the connection.

Analysts and regional officials have previously noted that any such relationship would be unusual, as the Houthis are a Shia movement and Al-Shabaab is a Salafi-jihadi organisation with sharply divergent ideological roots.

Despite this, Haskel claimed the alleged link demonstrated “Iran infiltrating into the continent”, though she offered no evidence.

She also claimed Iran was behind other African Salafi-jihadist groups like Boko Haram, which was formerly part of the Islamic State [IS] group and considers Iran to be a major enemy.

Haskel did not elaborate on the scope of Israel’s communication with Somalia, nor did she discuss whether it involved wider regional proposals that have appeared in international media in recent months.

Earlier reporting in Israel and abroad stated that Israel had explored potential arrangements with several African states, including Somaliland, which is an unrecognised breakaway state from Somalia, as part of discussions connected to post-war scenarios in Gaza.

Somaliland officials have publicly denied holding talks on receiving Palestinians from Gaza, and no formal proposals or agreements have been confirmed.

Somalia has meanwhile stated that it rejects any plans to relocate Palestinians to Somali territory. The federal government has repeatedly said it has had no discussions with any foreign state regarding resettlement from Gaza and opposes all forms of forced displacement.

Somali officials have also voiced support for a ceasefire in Gaza and affirmed backing for Palestinian rights.

Addressing Israel’s wider outreach on the continent, Haskel said that Israel “has relationships with almost every government on the continent”, noting that engagement with African states has been a focus of her work as deputy foreign minister.

Haskel did not provide further details on the nature of Israel’s recent contact with Somalia.

Somalia maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel and has not indicated any shift in its longstanding position.

Source The New Arab

 

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