Over a dozen Muslim-majority countries condemn Somaliland’s ‘flagrant’ planned opening of Jerusalem embassy

From the Jerusalem Post and Eurasia Review

The foreign ministers of over a dozen mostly Muslim-majority countries condemn Somaliland’s decision to open its first-ever embassy abroad in Jerusalem, in an official joint statement.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Oman, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon, Mauritania and the Palestinian Authority “condemn in the strongest terms the illegal and rejected step represented by the so-called ‘Somaliland Region’ proceeding to open an alleged ’embassy’ for it in the occupied city of Jerusalem,” the statement reads, calling the move a “flagrant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.”

They reiterated that East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that has been occupied since 1967, and that any steps aimed at altering its legal and historical status are null and void and have no legal effect.

The ministers emphasized their full support for the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and their complete rejection of any unilateral measures that infringe upon Somali territorial integrity or sovereignty.

In December, Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991. It announced last week that it would open an embassy in Jerusalem, making it the eighth country to do so.

Most nations’ embassies in Israel are in Tel Aviv,