warning that the move threatens to ignite separatist movements elsewhere. Addressing an emergency joint session of parliament on Sunday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed the “greatest abuse” of Somalia’s sovereignty in the nation’s history and referred to Israel as an “enemy”.

“I am encouraging the Somali people to be calm and to defend the unity and the independence of our country, which is facing this naked invasion,” he said. Lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution declaring Israel’s recognition as “null and void” although the measure is largely symbolic given that Somalia has not controlled Somaliland since it declared independence in 1991, which Somalia has never accepted. The resolution warns that individuals or institutions violating Somalia’s sovereignty will face legal consequences under the country’s penal code and international law. It directed the government to take up the matter with the United Nations, African Union, Arab League and other regional bodies.

Netanyahu on Friday announced that Israel had established full diplomatic relations with Somaliland, describing the move as being in the spirit of the United States-brokered Abraham Accords, which normalised ties between Israel and several Arab countries. The announcement made Israel the first UN member state to formally recognise the self-declared state, which has sought international acceptance for more than three decades without success. (Aljazeera)