Somalia under the administration of Siad Barre had close and fraternal relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization and its Chairman Yasser Arafat. Both the PLO and Somalia supported materially and diplomatically the liberation and self-determination movements of Africa and Asia such as ZANU and the African National Congress. This would also cause friction with Israel as Israel would usually support the opposing force, e.g. the Rhodesian & South African apartheid regimes.
Somalia has opposed the existence and legitimacy of the State of Israel since Somalia's independence in 1960 and has supported the Palestinian cause unabated since. This has led Israel to develop a strategic relationship with Ethiopia (both Imperial and Marxist).[2][3]
