Egypt rejects exploiting Israel’s ‘Somaliland’ recognition for forced displacement of Palestinians

JEDDAH, January 10, 2026, SPA -- Egypt has firmly rejected any attempts to exploit Israel’s recent recognition of the self-declared region of Somaliland to advance illegitimate plans aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians or at deepening divisions within the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers in Jeddah, Abdelatty warned that Israel’s recognition of the self-declared region of Somaliland sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the international order and threatens regional and global stability.

He reaffirmed Egypt’s firm support for the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia, adding that Egypt categorically rejects and fully condemns any unilateral and illegitimate recognition of so-called Somaliland.

On Palestine, the minister reiterated Egypt’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and their full sovereign rights over their land, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

He praised efforts by the US president to halt the war in Gaza, while underscoring the urgent need to immediately move forward with the second phase of the Gaza plan.

 

Abdelatty added that moving to the plan’s second phase would preserve the ceasefire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian, relief, and medical assistance, while launching recovery and reconstruction and ensuring the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The minister stressed that lasting regional and international peace can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international legitimacy resolutions, international law, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for the draft resolution that reflects the OIC’s unified and just position in defending the Palestinian people suffering from daily Israeli occupation practices.

Somaliland Recognition, Palestinian displacement

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland follows reports that it had approached the breakaway region about hosting Palestinians from Gaza as part of a US-Israeli plan earlier this year to resettle the territory’s population permanently.

Proposals involving the forced displacement of Palestinians have been widely condemned by the Arab world and by several other countries, including European states.

Twenty-one countries, including Egypt, issued a joint statement after the Israeli recognition, affirming full rejection of “any potential link between such measures and attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people from their land, which is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle.”