Somaliland is Jerusalem's answer to the Makka Pact

Israel's response to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, should focus on strategic geography and Somaliland's role, according to Amichai Chikli, Israel's minister of Diaspora Affairs.

Chikli described the new alignment as "a very dangerous and very troubling development" And called for Israel to strengthen partnerships with Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and Somaliland. While Chikli made no formal treaty announcement and his position does not yet represent settled government policy, his inclusion of Somaliland in Israel's public security framework represents a significant shift.

The geopolitical alignment is notable. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Somalia all signed a ministerial statement in December rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland - the same governments now bound together through the Makkah pact, which commits its signatories to treat an armed attack on one as an attack on all.

Turkey's role in the pact warrants particular attention. Beyond Saudi Arabia's existing military ties with Pakistan, Turkey brings NATO experience, conventional military capacity, an expanding defense industry and operational reach spanning Syria, the eastern Mediterranean, Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. Turkey maintains the deepest foreign military presence in Somalia, operating a major training facility in Mogadishu and supporting Somali naval development under a long-term maritime agreement.

The strategic contest has expanded beyond the Levant to encompass the southern Red Sea entrance. Chikli's proposed partnerships address this: Greece and Cyprus provide eastern Mediterranean depth, the UAE supplies Gulf connectivity and an established Abraham Accords relationship, and Somaliland offers access to the Gulf of Aden, proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the port of Berbera.

Somaliland's contested sovereignty distinguishes it from the other proposed partners. Strengthening ties challenges efforts to isolate Israel's recognition of Somaliland. Without broader international recognition, such agreements remain strategically useful but institutionally vulnerable. A second country recognizing Somaliland would transform recognition from an exceptional Israeli decision into an international process.

For this partnership to succeed, priorities should include diplomatic coordination, commercial investment, maritime awareness, technological cooperation and efforts to persuade other governments to review Somaliland's case. Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram previously called for a regional architecture extending from India through the UAE to Greece and Cyprus - a framework Chikli connected to the Makkah pact with Somaliland at its center.

The first contest between these alignments will likely unfold diplomatically as Somalia and its supporters attempt to prevent additional recognitions. Somaliland must preserve its agency and deepen relations with Israel without becoming a proxy in broader confrontations.