CAIRO, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL), in an extraordinary session at the level of permanent delegates and chaired by the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, condemned Israel's formal recognition of Somaliland as an "independent sovereign state."
In a statement, the AL voiced its full rejection of any arrangements stemming from Israel's "null and void" recognition that aim to facilitate the "forced displacement" of the Palestinian people or to use ports in northern Somalia to establish military bases.
The statement reaffirmed the Arab position that the northwestern region of Somalia, known as "Somaliland," is an integral and inseparable part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, rejecting any direct or indirect attempts to recognize its secession.
"The illegal Israeli recognition constitutes part of Israel's attempts ... to undermine international peace and security and represents an assault on Arab national security, which necessitates the adoption of legal, economic, political, and diplomatic measures against it," the statement said.
It described the Israeli moves as a dangerous attempt to reshape the geopolitical map in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea off the Somali coast, and called on the international community to confront these measures, as they threaten regional and international peace and security, as well as freedom of navigation and international trade.
The statement also stressed categorical rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people from their land and of attempts to alter the demographic composition of the Palestinian territory, considering such actions a form of "genocide" and a grave violation of international law and relevant international resolutions.
Israel announced on Friday its recognition of Somaliland, the self-declared region of Somalia, as an independent state, a move widely rejected by the international community, which has reaffirmed its support for Somalia's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. ■