JJP lobbies the Foreign Office about Israel’s forced eviction plans for Gaza
On 14 January 2026 JJP wrote to the Foreign Office about Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. There is a well-founded suspicion that, in return for recognition, Somaliland has agreed to take in Palestinians forced out of Gaza by Israel’s genocidal policies. The Israeli Foreign Minister was careful not to deny it in an interview.
Our letter is below.
Stephen Hickey 14 January 2026
Director Middle East & North Africa
cc. Jonathan Powell, National Security Adviser
Dear Mr. Hickey,
We are writing about Israel’s recognition of Somaliland on 26 December. Israel is the only country that has recognised the breakaway province from Somalia, a move that has not been welcomed anywhere.
There is a well-founded suspicion that, in return for recognition, Somaliland has agreed to take in Palestinians forced out of Gaza by Israel’s genocidal policies. Since both Egypt and Jordan have steadfastly refused to take in the Palestinians, Israel has apparantly had a plan to use East African countries since at least March 2025, when the Associated Press reported that “The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for moving Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip under President Donald Trump’s proposed postwar plan.” Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland were named.1
Somalia’s Defence Minister recently said “Somalia has confirmed information that Israel has a plan to transfer Palestinians and to send them to [Somaliland]”. In a classic non-denial denial, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, told Israel’s Channel 14 that the forcible displacement of Palestinians to Somaliland “was not part of our agreement”.2
Israel’s continuing refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza and its recurring attempts to sabotage the ceasefire attest to the fact that it has not abandoned its plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza.
We urge our government to make plain to Israel its opposition to any forced or induced displacement from Gaza, and that normalisation of relations between the UK and Israel will not occur if there is any indication of it happerning. We also urge you to impress on your American interlocutors that President Trump must insist on point 12 of his peace plan being strictly honoured: “No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Liaison Officer
Notes