Name: UN Security Council divided over Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
Uploaded: 2025-12-30T15:27:30.708Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: The United Nations Security Council is sharply divided following Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a move that has drawn strong criticism from most Council members and prompted an emergency meeting in New York.

The United Nations Security Council is sharply divided following Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a move that has drawn strong criticism from most Council members and prompted an emergency meeting in New York.

New York

The United Nations Security Council is experiencing deep divisions after Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first nation to do so. Most council members criticized Israel’s decision, warning of potential regional fallout and consequences for Palestinians in Gaza, while Israel defended its stance by citing Somaliland’s record of self-governance and legal criteria for recognition.

Somalia has strongly rejected Israel’s move, with its representative accusing Israel of misunderstanding Somalia’s history and criticizing its human rights record. The emergency meeting was convened following Israel's announcement, highlighting ongoing tensions regarding Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after a civil war.

UN Security Council divided over Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

The UN Security Council is sharply divided after most members slammed Israel's recognition of Somaliland. Warning of regional fallouts and implications for Palestinians in Gaza, Israel however remains undeterred standing by its move. Mr President, the question raised by Israel's recognition of Somaliland is not whether international law permits acknowledgement of long-established facts, it does. The question is whether this council is ready to engage with reality as it exists. Somaliland's historical sovereignty, more than three decades of effective self-governance and demonstrated capacity to act as a responsible international partner meet the legal criteria that guide recognition. Israel has aligned its foreign policy with this reality. Somalia for its part has firmly rejected Israel's recognition of Somaliland. He has no idea what Somalia is and where Somalis are and what Somalia stands for. I think the history is a selective history that he has just generated on his own mind. To come to this place and lecture us humanity and genocide and human rights and independence and democracy and we know what you're doing on a daily basis is just an insult. The emergency meeting followed Israel becoming the first and only country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state. The region broke away from Somalia in 1991 after civil war under military ruler Siad Barre.

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