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Somaliland Official Defends Israel Ties amid Arab Backlash
(Al Jazeera) Mohammad Mansour - Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of Somaliland's ruling Waddani party, fiercely defended his government's decision to normalize relations with Israel in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday. He argued that Somaliland was forced to look to Israel for legitimacy after being ignored by the international community for decades. "There is no choice before us but to welcome any country that recognizes our existential right," he said. "We have been an independent state for 34 years. The rejection of the Arab League does not matter to us at all. They did not accept us as a member...and we did not receive any attention from Arab countries." "Normalization with Israel is not limited to Somaliland. Many Arab and Islamic countries have broad political and economic relations with Israel, such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and the UAE. We deal with Israel politically. Political dealing is not something religion forbids."