Somaliland Opens Embassy in Jerusalem After Israel Recognition, Says Ambassador Mohamed Hagi

Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, said it will open an embassy in Jerusalem soon after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared republic in December.

Somaliland ambassador Mohamed Hagi said in a post on X that Israel is expected to set up an embassy in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, as the two sides deepen ties.

Al Jazeera

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem would be another significant step in strengthening relations with Somaliland, and he said it would make the Somaliland embassy the eighth embassy in Jerusalem.

The announcement followed a Monday ceremony in which Israeli President Isaac Herzog received Hagi’s diplomatic credentials at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, formally accrediting Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel.

Somalia rejected Israel’s December recognition of Somaliland and termed it a "deliberate attack" on its sovereignty, according to Haaretz.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed the move, thanking Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi for the decision and saying the agreement would be implemented soon.

Al Jazeera

In a statement on X, Mohamed Hagi said Somaliland will open an embassy in Jerusalem and Israel will establish its representation in Hargeisa “soon,” framing it as “growing friendship, mutual respect, and strategic cooperation between our two peoples”.

Al Jazeera reported that Gideon Saar welcomed the announcement, calling it a “significant step” in strengthening relations, and said “We will work together to implement this decision soon,” on X.

The embassy exchange is set against a disputed status for Jerusalem, where Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital while the United Nations and most countries regard East Jerusalem as territory occupied by Israel, according to Haaretz.

Al Jazeera said the location is controversial because the status of Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Israel claiming the entirety of the ancient city as its capital and the Palestinian Authority insisting that occupied East Jerusalem should serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Al Jazeera also said due to Jerusalem’s disputed status, the vast majority of the 96 diplomatic missions present in Israel host their embassies in the Tel Aviv area to avoid interfering with peace negotiations.

In December last year, Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, ending more than 30 years of diplomatic isolation, and Al Jazeera said the decision drew wide condemnation from the UN Security Council, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.