Tonight at 7pm also Netanyahu at Trump's: tensions over Gaza and Somaliland

On Monday, in the aftermath of his summit with Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump will also receive Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu on whom he is ready to increase the pressure to start phase two of the plan on Gaza. And, more generally, it will be an opportunity to try to regain harmony as differences widen. Lastly, that over Somaliland, a territory whose recognition has been announced by Bibi's government turning Israel into the first UN country to do so. If on the one hand the choice has triggered the predictable condemnation of the Arab world, on the other it has found - if not opposition - at least the indifference of the tycoon, unwilling to follow the premier in this decision.

"Does anyone really know what Somaliland is?" the US president asked, after expressing a sharp "no" to the possibility of recognising the territory that declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and struggled in the following decades to gain international recognition. However, "we will study and evaluate," the US leader pointed out.

For its part, the EU in a note reiterated "the importance of respecting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, in accordance with its Constitution, the African Union and United Nations Charters. This is crucial for peace and stability in the entire Horn of Africa region. The EU encourages a constructive dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia to resolve long-standing differences".

The Israeli decision to recognise Somaliland has sparked a heated debate and a wave of controversy. If, in fact, the territory's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi rejoiced at what he called the start of a "historic partnership", many were the countries that condemned the Jewish State's unilateral move. Starting with Somalia itself, with the Foreign Ministry denouncing "a deliberate attack" on its sovereignty, going so far as to call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council convened for Monday. The protest of the authorities was accompanied by the threat of Al-Shabaab militiamen linked to Al-Qaeda, who promised to "fight" any Israeli attempt to "claim or use parts of Somaliland" for their own interests.

Along with Mogadishu, words of condemnation have come from the Gulf States, Turkey, the PNA and even the African Union, evidently alarmed by what analysts point out to be a clear Israeli strategy: to strengthen alliances in the Red Sea region for various reasons - including the possibility of a future campaign against the Houthis - in the face of the setback in normalisation efforts with the Arab world brought about by the Gaza war.