He's forcing Israel's detractors to confront the hypocrisy of their own arguments in favour of conjuring a Palestinian state out of thin air

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Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered the ultimate Boxing Day troll by recognizing the state of Somaliland — a country that few people have heard of, and even fewer have given a passing thought to — provoking widespread international condemnation.

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There are legitimate strategic reasons for Israel to recognize the fledgling statelet. Somaliland’s president announced his intention to join the Abraham Accords, which would expand the list of countries that have normalized relations with Israel. The country is close to Yemen and could allow Israel to attack Houthi targets if it were allowed to establish a military presence there. It is also located at the mouth of the Red Sea, which is often used to deliver weapons and fighters to Israel’s enemies.

But it’s hard not to see the move as a troll directed at world leaders who are still patting themselves on the back for recognizing a nonexistent Palestinian state in the fall.

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Israel and Somaliland do share some commonalities. Like Israel, Somaliland is a byproduct of the collapse of the British Empire following the Second World War. It became a British protectorate in 1884 and a Crown colony in 1920. It briefly gained independence in 1960 before joining with the Trust Territory of Somalia, which was governed by Italy under a United Nations mandate, to form........

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