Credit to Photo/Twitter
A strong discussion was caused by the visit of former Ambassador Idd Bedel Mohamed to Israel, where he participated in a conference on cooperation between Israel, the Arabs and Africa.
Idd Bedel Mohamed, who once served as Somalia’s ambassador to the UN, participated in a meeting organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Former ambassador Idd Bedel Mohamed posted pictures of his participation in the conference on his Twitter account and praised the Abraham Accord agreement between Israel and several Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco that established diplomatic relations.
According to Somali Times, Idd Bedel Mohamed currently has no position in the federal government of Somalia.
However, MP Ali Saeed Fiqi, who previously served as Somalia’s ambassador to the European Union, demanded an explanation from the government about Idd’s visit to Israel, and if they know anything about it.
”Idd Bedel Mohamed’s visit to Jerusalem made Somali MPs suspicious. They would like to know that he went to Israel on a personal level or with the permission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister or the President. Establishing relations with foreign countries requires transparency,” said Ali Saeed Fiqi.
On the other hand, the government of Somalia has not yet spoken about Idd Bedel Mohamed’s visit to Israel.
Earlier this month, the Israeli newspaper Hayom wrote that Tel Aviv is trying to expand the Abraham Accord to include countries such as Somalia. The newspaper said that Israel’s foreign minister Eli Cohen is in talks with the countries of Somalia, Mauritania and Indonesia.
He noted that Somalia has repeatedly expressed its interest in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, although the two countries have never had relations.
Somali Times contacted the federal government of Somalia but they did not respond.