Historical Documents Reveal Jewish Efforts to Establish a State in Somalia 81 Years Ago

Amid the occupation's recognition of what is known as Somaliland, the secessionist region located in northern Somalia, which had maintained secret contacts with the occupation, historical documents resurfaced again, discussing the efforts of the Jewish Agency, with assistance from Britain and America, to establish a state for European Jews in that area about 81 years ago.

And accounts published a set of historical documents, which were reviewed and translated the most important parts of them, which included correspondences from the American Foreign Ministry to the Kingdom of Ethiopia, to arrange the establishment of a region under autonomous rule, special for European Jews, in addition to a booklet drafted by Herman Furberg, head of the Gildemeester Committee for Jewish Aid, which was founded in 1938 in the Netherlands, during the Nazi period.

Furberg was one of the most prominent workers on the file of European Jewish migration to Ethiopia, and those seeking to establish a state for them from land cut in the Harar region with parts of Ethiopia and Somalia, which was explicitly called Somaliland at the time.

And the head of the Jewish organization, in the correspondences included in his book, said, "I believe that there is only one region that combines in itself the four advantages I mentioned, and my proposal is to unify what is called the Harar region in Ethiopia with part of British Somalia, and establish a state for European Jews there."

And he added: "This region is wide enough as it will be easy to allocate between 60-70 thousand square miles for this purpose, and it is inhabited by a small number of agricultural residents, who are not expected to cause major difficulties, and nevertheless, it will be necessary to remember the lessons learned from the Palestine experience, that is, preventing the region from being flooded with people coming from other parts of Ethiopia, and preventing the entry of foreign agitators."

And Furberg emphasized that "the climate in the plateau is completely healthy and suitable for Europeans, as for those parts of the Somali coast that have a bad climate, they can be improved within a reasonable period of time through irrigation."

And he said that "the Harar region is particularly suitable for agriculture, and therefore for mass migration, as it will have ready markets for its agricultural products, and later industrial ones, within Africa, and in Arab countries, and in parts of India."

And he pointed out that "from a political point of view, these regions belong, as previously mentioned, to Great Britain and the Ethiopian Empire."

And Furberg mentioned, in his speech to the British, that the British government proposed in 1935 to the Emperor of Ethiopia that he hand over to him the port of Zeila and some other parts of British Somalia, if he was ready to make certain concessions to Italy."

And he continued: "Therefore, it is not unlikely that the British government today is ready to cede a relatively larger part of Somalia, with the port of Berbera, to the European Jewish state that we envision."

And Furberg said "that the Ethiopian Imperial House claims descent from the Jewish King David, and the Emperor bears the title Lion of Judah", adding "shouldn't that also mean a certain commitment to providing the needed help to these non-blood brothers in Europe, and receiving them with conditions befitting the twentieth century?"

And he indicated by saying: "As for the Jews, on their part, they should not have objection to recognizing the supreme sovereignty of the Ethiopian Emperor, with some guarantees from Great Britain and the United States of America.. Let the Lion of Judah prove that he combines the courage of David, the wisdom of Solomon, and the good management of the Queen of Sheba."

And the book, documented by the Holocaust Museum, without presenting it as an electronic copy, included a letter from Furberg to the King of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, which included the following text: "Your Majesty.. A group of Jewish men and women of European origin presents the following petition to Your Majesty, hoping that it will receive your kind attention and approval, and our group revolves around Mr. Herman Furberg, whose name and work in connection with the settlement project in Harar must be known to Your Majesty."

And the letter added: "In order to refer to our geographical and political goals, the group has adopted the temporary name The Council for an Autonomous Jewish Region in Harar, Harar Council, and we hope that Your Majesty will allow us to continue using this name or an alternative name that is more appropriate."

And the signatories said, "No doubt Your Majesty is aware that large numbers of innocent men and women in Europe have suffered severe persecution at the hands of the Nazis in recent years. And this persecution has fallen particularly hard on the Jewish people, who have reached suffering, and we seek the basic principles, and prepare a basis for an agreement negotiated with Your Majesty."

And the proposal included allocating what was described as the Harar region, of which Somaliland would be part, "under Your Majesty's sovereignty, for the migration of European Jews, and representations will be made to the British government regarding regional arrangements in British Somaliland, allowing free access to the sea through the ports of Berbera and Zeila."

And according to the letter: "The migration will take place in large and organized groups, heading to lands that have been carefully identified and allocated in advance, and all immigrants wishing to settle in the Harar region are required to take an oath of allegiance to Your Majesty, and after completing the migration procedures, they obtain full rights and duties of citizenship within the Harar region, and this citizenship does not entitle its holders to obtain citizenship in other parts of the Ethiopian Empire.

And it continued: "The autonomy of the region extends within its borders only. And all internal affairs are managed by a governing body elected by the region's inhabitants. And a royal governor or viceroy is appointed as Your Majesty's representative, and his rights and duties are defined in a special democratic constitution for the region, and English is the official language, and all education is in this language."

And the letter indicated that the King of Ethiopia has the right to obtain "an agreed fair share of some taxes imposed in the region, and this income will increase with the growth of industrial and cultural life in it, and the responsibility for loans contracted by the Harar region is limited to the citizens of that region, and does not impose any obligation on the Ethiopian government."

We are fully aware of the many difficulties involved in implementing this project, but the necessity …

And the documents reveal that Furberg was enthusiastic about establishing a Jewish state in Somaliland and Ethiopia, and abandoning the Balfour Declaration, in which Britain pledged to establish a "national home" for Jews in Palestine after occupying it.

And Furberg said in one of his correspondences: "Abandoning the Balfour Declaration will be a sacrifice offered by the Jews.. Abandoning independence in Palestine, and the national homeland in the Holy Land, is indeed a heroic sacrifice sacrificed on the altar of humanity, and this sacrifice will be justified if it contributes to shortening the duration of the war, even by a few days; and it will be justified doubly if it creates the possibility for millions of Jews to live in political and economic security and this possibility exists in fact; it exists here and now, and it means Somaliland."

And he wondered "Has the Jewish people throughout the world, and not only those persecuted by Hitler, looked for years with confidence to the peoples of England and the United States. Who can doubt that these two peoples will appreciate the greatness of the sacrifice represented in abandoning the Balfour Declaration?"

And Furberg said: "The benefits resulting from establishing such a state will be greater for non-Jews than for Jews, and it seems certain that abandoning the Balfour Declaration will remove the poison from Arab-Jewish relations, and make friendship and understanding between the two peoples possible, and I have already pointed to the benefits that will accrue to the British Empire and to the United Nations. And the whole world will be freed from a potential and permanent source of disturbance."

And he continued: "And for Jews in England and the Americas, establishing an autonomous Jewish state outside Palestine will be a great improvement in their own situation, and the idea of establishing a Jewish state outside Palestine is not new, and a not insignificant number of regions have been studied from this angle."

The original map reproduced and clarified by artificial intelligence