Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Opens Jerusalem Embassy During Visit to Israel

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi opened an embassy in Jerusalem during an official visit to Israel, six months after Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation.

The BBC said the diplomatic mission opened at a technology park in West Jerusalem while Abdullahi was meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke of "a deep spiritual bond between our peoples".

Al Jazeera

Somalia’s federal government rejected the move, describing engagement with "the secessionist administration of the northern region of Somalia… [as] a violation of its sovereignty".

The BBC also reported that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland last December was controversial, with dozens of countries and organisations including China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the African Union criticising the declaration.

During the same Jerusalem visit, Al Jazeera reported that Abdullahi opened an embassy and visited the Knesset, describing the trip as "historic" and a new chapter in relations between Somaliland and Israel.

The Hiiraan Online account said Abdillahi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that "Somaliland has been talking, has been reaching out to the world leaders for the last 35 years," and that only Israel and its people desired to see Somaliland and recognise it.

Al Jazeera

In Jerusalem, Herzog said the visit showed the potential for new cooperation and that the bilateral relationship must move "from declarations to people-to-people cooperation in a range of fields".

The BBC added that Netanyahu praised the decision to site the embassy in Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, while also drawing a parallel with Somaliland’s call for recognition and calling Jerusalem "our ancient capital".

The BBC said Somaliland has governed itself since it broke away from Somalia in 1991 after the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu, while Somalia considers the region part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

In Jerusalem, the BBC reported that the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry condemned "the opening of the alleged embassy by the so-called 'Somaliland' in the occupied city of Jerusalem" and called it "a flagrant violation of international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy".

Al Jazeera’s newsfeed framed the landmark trip as coming months after Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation, and it described the embassy opening alongside the Knesset visit.

The Africa Report described Somaliland’s long foreign policy objective as international recognition, noting that for more than three decades successive administrations argued the self-declared republic had established stability, democratic institutions, and effective governance.