There are moments in history when friendship is measured not by what is given, but by what is risked.

In the Jewish tradition, there is a principle called Hakarat HaTov – recognizing and honoring the good that others have done for you. It is more than gratitude. It is the understanding that when someone stands beside you while others turn away, you do not merely thank them. You remember them. You stand with them in return.

Israel today faces such a test.

For decades, the people of Somaliland have lived in one of the world’s most difficult neighborhoods. To the south lies a Somali state that continues to reject Somaliland’s sovereignty claim and possesses every incentive to frustrate its international aspirations. Beyond it are extremist movements that have brought bloodshed and instability across the region. Further abroad are powerful geopolitical actors whose interests do not necessarily align with the emergence of a democratic and independent Somaliland.

Yet despite these realities, Somaliland chose a path few expected.

This was not a decision made in Washington, London, or Brussels. It emerged from a small Muslim nation in the Horn of Africa, a nation of nearly six million people whose mosques fill every city, whose faith shapes everyday life, and whose religious scholars command enormous........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)