Three narratives are fiercely battling for dominance in the future of Gaza, occupied Palestine, and now, the broader Horn of Africa. Yet, only one narrative—Israel’s—has been translated into real, consequential action, a reality that’s sending shockwaves across the Middle East and beyond. Over the past week, a series of dramatic moves by Israeli officials and their international counterparts have exposed the deep fractures and rising tensions shaping the region’s future.
At the heart of the crisis lies Israel’s aggressive and unapologetic policy of domination. On December 8, 2025, Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, made international headlines when he appeared in a Knesset session wearing a noose-shaped pin. This striking symbol was no accident: Ben-Gvir was there to push for a death penalty bill targeting Palestinian prisoners, and he was explicit about his intentions. “The noose is just one of the options,” he said, listing “the option of hanging, the electric chair, and lethal injection” as methods under consideration. According to CounterPunch, this chilling display underscored the Israeli government’s willingness to employ extreme measures in its ongoing campaign against Palestinians.
But the crackdown didn’t stop there. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich followed up with a massive announcement: Israel would allocate $843 million over the next five years to expand illegal settlements. This funding, as reported by CounterPunch, is earmarked for relocating military bases, establishing clusters of mobile homes, and creating a dedicated land registry—moves designed to formalize Israeli governmental control over the occupied Palestinian territory. The message from the top couldn’t have been clearer. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself declared, “There will not be a Palestinian state. It’s very simple: it will not be established.” He called the very idea of Palestinian statehood “an existential threat to Israel.”
This vision of permanent expansion and denial of Palestinian self-determination is not just rhetoric. It’s being written into law, policy, and the very landscape of the region, with devastating consequences for those caught in the crossfire. As CounterPunch notes, the failure to enforce accountability for Israeli violence has allowed this “devastating genocide in Gaza” to continue for two full years, unchecked by the international community.
In stark contrast, the Palestinian narrative—supported by Arab nations and much of the Global South—continues to insist on freedom and rights grounded in international law. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking last April, warned, “If we disregard international law, this will open the way for the law of the jungle to prevail.” Yet, as CounterPunch observes, this vision remains largely aspirational, lacking the tools or international backing to enforce its principles in the face of relentless Israeli policy.
Adding yet another layer of complexity, the Trump administration’s legacy continues to cast a long shadow. The US narrative, as described by CounterPunch, is one of transactional diplomacy, where President Donald Trump and his allies claim to have “solved” the Middle East crisis through a peace plan that strategically avoided any clear commitment to Palestinian statehood. The plan, lauded by Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US-Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee, positions US approval as the sole measure of legitimacy—an approach many see as dismissive of international legal consensus and Palestinian rights.
The consequences of these narratives are not confined to Gaza and the West Bank. This week, their ripple effects reached the Horn of Africa. On December 27, 2025, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a joint declaration making Israel the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state. As Council on Foreign Relations analysts explained, Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, had operated as a “relatively stable democracy” but had never before been recognized internationally.
The reaction was swift and severe. On December 28, a group of 21 Arab, African, and Islamic nations issued a joint statement formally rejecting Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. They called it a “grave violation of international law” with “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and internationally.” The statement also rejected any potential link between the recognition and “any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land.” According to CFR and other sources, the US State Department quickly reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s territorial integrity, while the European Union warned that Israel’s move threatened regional peace and called for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve their dispute peacefully.
This latest diplomatic gambit comes on the heels of failed US proposals earlier in the year to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in Somaliland, an idea that was met with widespread condemnation. The joint statement from Arab, African, and Islamic nations made it clear: any such attempts would be seen as a violation of international norms and a dangerous precedent.
Amid these high-profile political maneuvers, the human cost of Israel’s policies remains a central concern. On December 30, 2025, Jadaliyya will host a conversation titled “Connections Episode 109: Israel and Torture,” featuring Lisa Hajjar and Miriam Azem. The episode will examine the United Nations Committee Against Torture’s December 2025 report on Israel, its first since 2016, and the issues raised by its findings and recommendations. The discussion will also reference the October 2025 shadow report submitted to the UN Committee by several human rights organizations, including the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), Adalah, HaMoked, Parents Against Child Detention (PACD), and Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI).
Lisa Hajjar, a professor at the University of California – Santa Barbara and a torture expert for the Gaza People’s Tribunal, and Miriam Azem, Adalah’s International Advocacy Coordinator, will discuss the “centrality of torture to Israel’s regime of repression.” Azem has played a key role in documenting systemic torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody since October 2023, including representing Adalah before the UN Committee Against Torture. Their work, along with that of other human rights advocates, has brought renewed international attention to the urgent need for accountability and justice.
As CounterPunch argues, the only way to halt Israel’s advance toward continuing its campaign of destruction and punitive legislation is through real accountability—political, legal, and economic. This means sanctions on Israel and its top officials, comprehensive arms embargoes, and full accountability at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. Symbolic gestures are no longer enough. The world must move beyond verbal condemnation and apply concrete legal and economic pressure if there is to be any hope of a lasting peace built on justice rather than military might.
In this pivotal moment, the region stands at a crossroads. The choices made now—by governments, international organizations, and civil society—will determine whether the cycle of impunity and violence continues, or whether a new path grounded in law and human rights can finally take root. The stakes could hardly be higher.
