The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday on Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce slammed the convening of the meeting, calling the Council out for its double standards.

“Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state,” she asserted.

“Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this Council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this Council’s outrage.”

“This Council’s persistent double standards and misdirection of focus distract from its mission of maintaining international peace and security,” she concluded.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also slammed the Council and reminded it of some history, stating, “When the Somali regime, led by Siad Barre, committed a massacre against the people of Somaliland, the world was silent. But Israel was not silent.”

“In 1990, Israel’s then-ambassador to the UN, Yohanan Bein, sent a letter to the UN Security Council warning about the massacre committed by Somalia in the city of Hargeisa. Even when it was inconvenient and diplomatically costly, Israel chose what was right.”

“That is what moral leadership looks like.”

“This is not a question of international security but of a double standard. When countries at the UN promote unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, the issue is accepted without discussion and without opposition. When Israel exercises its sovereign powers and acts in accordance with international law, the Security Council convenes for an urgent discussion. This is evidence of the bias and hypocrisy of some members of the Council.”

“Israel’s recognition of Somaliland reflects an existing reality for more than three decades, and it was accepted within the sovereign powers of the State of Israel,” Danon added.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)