Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharren Haskel )Tamás Gyurkovits/Hungarian Conservative)Tel Aviv (Somalia Today) — Israel’s Deputy ...
Tel Aviv (Somalia Today) — Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister has claimed that her country maintains “certain communication” with the Federal Government of Somalia, in a rare and significant public acknowledgement of quiet contacts with an Arab League member state that does not officially recognize Israel.
Sharren Haskel made the comments during a wide-ranging i24NEWS interview, framing the dialogue as a strategic necessity driven by shared security imperatives in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
She warned that the volatile situation in the region poses a danger that extends far beyond local borders.
“I think that the situation there is very dangerous, and I think it will affect the rest of the world,” she said. “Somalia will have a major effect on the economy, on fisheries, on maritime sea travel routes and goods that are passing through there.”
But Haskel stopped short of identifying specific Somali counterparts or the mechanisms of these exchanges.
Somali officials, however, rejected the claim. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar, known as Ali Balcad, said Israel’s remarks were not true.
“There is no relationship between Somalia and Israel,” Balcad said. He added that Somalia’s position has not changed. “Somalia has no diplomatic or political ties with Israel.”
Haskel spoke against the backdrop of growing alarm over links between Yemen’s Houthi movement and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab insurgency across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The two groups, separated only by the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, appear to be forging a transactional alliance that threatens to further destabilize the region.
A recent UN expert report submitted to the Security Council documented a “developing relationship” between the factions. The report characterized the bond as “transactional or opportunistic rather than ideological.”
UN investigators found evidence of cooperation on smuggling routes across the Gulf of Aden, raising fears that sophisticated weaponry could flow from Yemen into the hands of Al-Shabaab militants in East Africa.
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This emerging axis has sharpened anxieties in Western and regional capitals.
The Bab el-Mandeb corridor serves as a global economic artery, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and facilitating a significant percentage of trade between Europe and Asia. Any disruption there carries global inflationary consequences.
In her interview, Haskel argued that Houthi coercion is making Somalia a pivotal player in the defense of these sea lanes. “The Houthis are pushing them,” she noted, emphasizing that security failures in the Horn of Africa will not stay contained.
Somalia, a Muslim-majority country and member of the Arab League, has never recognised Israel and has no diplomatic relations with it. Israeli and Somali officials have repeatedly underlined this position in public.
An earlier report in Israeli media noted that Somalia “has never recognized the State of Israel” and that the two countries do not maintain formal ties.
At the same time, there have been occasional reports of discreet, security-focused contacts.
In 2022, Israeli outlets reported that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was internally weighing the pros and cons of warming ties with Israel.
Following a backlash, Somali officials reaffirmed their traditional stance of support for the Palestinian cause and a rejection of normalization. Those initial exploratory discussions never materialized into formal policy.
Haskel’s decision to claim “communication” on air therefore marks a notable, if limited, signal of engagement. She did not suggest that diplomatic recognition is on the table. However, she placed Somalia within a wider Israeli effort to shore up Red Sea security
She also used the i24NEWS interview to underscore the scope of her Africa portfolio. She said Israel “has relationships with almost every government on the continent” and described ties with African states as a central part of her work as deputy foreign minister.
Ahmed Ali Sheikh is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Somalia Today and also founded Caasimada Online. A former VOA journalist and McClatchy stringer, he has over 15 years’ experience covering politics, security and society.
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