While we are all looking forward to the news in the Saudi sector, it turns out that another Muslim country is trying to get closer to Israel – Somalia. Without much attention, last May something fell in Somalia. Former President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud has been re-elected. The same person who according to some reports has met in recent years with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is in close relations with the United Arab Emirates.
“The Israeli government needs to think about Somalia,” said Ahmad Omar Gagla, a veteran Somali politician who until a few years ago served as communications minister and before that as a member of parliament. He knows the current president and his attitudes toward Israel closely. “The president is an open person, he is interested in normalizing relations. He has done this in the past, he tried to approach Israel, but it was stopped. There is no reason for us to refuse. After all, Israel already has relations with other Muslim countries and we are a Muslim country.”
Somalia, the Muslim, is a country that is less heard of in Israel. A poor country in East Africa that suffers from chronic instability, but in the same breath is strategically located on the shores of the Red Sea. An area that many countries are staring at, including Iran – which is why Israel has an interest in it.
“The Red Sea is important for trade all over the world. We can give Israelis a military base in northern Somalia and also develop international trade with them,” says Yosef ‘Abd al-Karim, a Somali who lives in Norway and describes himself as close to the current president in Mogadishu. According to him, Fontland and Somililand in the north are peaceful areas. “I heard that Israelis love diving, they can dive in the Red Sea. They are welcome.”
Before jumping to dive off the coast of Somalia, it is worthwhile to understand what the Somalis think they can achieve from relations with Israel. Their most notable gain is related to the struggle against extremist Islamists, led by the Somali terrorist organization a-Shabab. In addition to the fight against terrorism, there is of course the economic aspect and the Israeli ability to help the poor country in the supply of water and food and also in the field of agriculture.
“If we have good relations with Israel, it will teach us a lot, because it has experience in the field of the war on terror,” says Gagla. “Most Somalis are tired of the al-Shabab terrorist organization. Many people have lost loved ones because of them. Now the Somalis are saying: We need help,” al-Karim said.
“The Somalis are going through a difficult time now because there is no flour coming from Ukraine,” he continues. “The situation of the citizens is bad. We have fertile land, so it would be wonderful if the Israelis would come and help, because they know how to do agriculture.”
But with all due respect to the obvious interests, the question arises as to whether there is any support on the Somali street in normalizing relations with Israel and whether the other institutions of government, parliament and government, are able to give back to the president. “I hope the members of parliament will vote in favor,” al-Karim said. “Right now the Somalis are ready. The Somalis have not forgotten what the Israelis did for them during the struggle for independence. The Golda Meir government has helped us a lot.”
One of his first visits as president-elect was made by Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud in the Emirates – who began the wave of normalization with Israel two years ago. So when everyone is talking about getting closer to Saudi Arabia in the shadow of Biden’s visit, it is possible that the news of normalization with Israel will come from other surprising places in the region. Somalia is without a doubt one of the candidates.
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