Arab League holds emergency meeting over Israel's recognition of Somaliland The Arab League convened for an emergency meeting of permanent representatives on Sunday at the request of Somalia to discuss Israeli recognition of the Somaliland region. The meeting was held at the League's headquarters in Cairo and chaired by the UAE. Israel's decision to become the first country to recognise the breakaway region has been condemned by a string of countries. A statement condemning the recognition was signed jointly by Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, the Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Yemen, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Somaliland has been part of the unified Somali Republic since 1960, but declared its independence in 1991 and established a de facto state. Although it has had unofficial diplomatic relations with several countries, its sovereignty had not been recognised by any permanent UN member state until this week. On Monday, the UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency session to discuss Israel's recognition.