Twelve Nations Condemn Israel's Somaliland Ambassador Appointment

Twelve countries issued a joint condemnation Saturday of Israel's appointment of Michael Lotem as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, Somalia's breakaway region, calling the move a flagrant violation of Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Israel had announced the appointment Wednesday, having already become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state in December. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had separately condemned the move earlier in the week. The joint statement frames the appointment as a violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, warning it sets a dangerous precedent for stability in the Horn of Africa. The US defended Israel's December recognition at the UN Security Council, where several signatories to Saturday's statement questioned whether the move could be connected to proposals to relocate Palestinians from Gaza or to establish military bases in the region. The coalition's response signals a coordinated diplomatic pushback that could shape OIC and Arab League positioning on Israel's broader regional relationships.