Somaliland

Forging new alliances: Israel appoints first ever ambassador to Somaliland

In the initial phase, Lotem will serve as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, reflecting the early stages of diplomatic engagement between the two sides.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.

Israel's Somaliland envoy sparks regional backlash from 15 Arab, Muslim states

The flag of Somaliland is seen during a campaign rally of the main opposition party Waddani in Hargeisa on November 8, 2024, ahead of the 2024 Somaliland presidential election.

Israel-Somaliland ties could lead to Red Sea Israeli base, intel. gathering on Houthis - report

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gesture as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.

Will Donald Trump give up on the Red Sea? - opinion


Israel's recognition of Somaliland sends warning to Turkey, Iran, Syria - opinion

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has sent shockwaves through the region and chills down the spines of authoritarian leaders

Somaliland, a de facto state that has governed itself for more than three decades, holding elections, maintaining security, and building institutions, even as it remains largely unrecognized by the international community.

Israel and India's laboratory in the Horn of Africa-opinion

A strategic shift is underway in the Horn of Africa: Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and its partnership with India signal a move toward flexible, tech‑driven security

Somaliland Navy members participate in a parade celebrating the 33rd anniversary of their Independence in Hargeisa, Somaliland on May 18, 2024.

A Black African Jew to UN and African Union: Israel just did your job in Somaliland - opinion

For over 30 years, Somaliland has behaved like a responsible state without being treated as one. And what have the UN and the AU done? Missions and communiqués about Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Somaliland Navy members participate in a parade celebrating the 33rd anniversary of their Independence in Hargeisa, Somaliland on May 18, 2024.

Why Somaliland meets the legal test for statehood and Palestine does not - opinion

Israel’s move may prove, in the context of Somaliland, to be a turning point enabling its recognition by other countries, while realizing its right to self-determination.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.

Somaliland’s lost and forgotten Jews: Inside Horn of Africa's Jewish past - opinion

Beyond the politics, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland reveals a hidden Jewish past, from ancient cemeteries to the origins of the Yibir tribe.

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia’s territorial unity, in Mogadishu, Dec. 30.

Grapevine, January 9, 2025: An embassy row in Jerusalem?

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

Micky Maltz.

Somaliland delegation to arrive in Israel on Sunday following FM Sa'ar's historic visit

The trip will include visits to Yad Vashem, the Old City of Jerusalem, the Gaza border area - including the site of the Nova massacre - and the Bedouin city of Rahat.  

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognising Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on December 26, 2025.

African Union calls on Israel to revoke Somaliland recognition amid Sa'ar visit

"The (AU) Council strongly condemns, in the strongest terms, the unilateral recognition of the so-called 'Republic of Somaliland' by Israel," it said in a post on X after a ministerial meeting.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.

Gideon Sa’ar in Somaliland, Palestinian embassy in London - January 6, 2026

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

Illustrative image of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

With Somaliland recognition, Israel shapes global reality instead of just reacting to it - opinion

For the first time in years, Israel is signaling a strategic rethink, seeing the environment it operates in not as isolated threats but as one interconnected geopolitical system across the region.

The flag of Somaliland is seen during a campaign rally of the main opposition party Waddani in Hargeisa on November 8, 2024, ahead of the 2024 Somaliland presidential election.