The president of Somaliland and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar inaugurated the East African state's embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, the eighth foreign mission to open in the city. The move deepens ties between Israel and the breakaway republic, which has sought international recognition for decades.
At a ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar opened the official embassy of the breakaway East African republic — the eighth foreign mission established in the Israeli capital. The opening follows the president's first official visit to Israel, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday afternoon after earlier talks with Sa'ar.
The embassy opening marks a further step in the quiet but steady diplomatic relationship between Israel and Somaliland, a self-declared independent state that broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has sought international recognition ever since. Israel does not formally recognize Somaliland, but the two maintain working ties, with Israel viewing the republic as a strategic partner in the Horn of Africa — a region of growing importance amid Houthi threats to Red Sea shipping.
As The Zioneer reported Sunday, Abdullahi said at a previous embassy-related event that he brought 'the blessings of six million Muslims' to Israel, framing the diplomatic opening as consistent with his country's Islamic identity. The opening of the eighth embassy in Jerusalem comes amid ongoing Israeli diplomatic efforts to expand the circle of nations willing to locate embassies in the city, which Israel considers its undivided capital but is not recognized as such by most states.
4 developments
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- DevelopingIsrael to open representative office in Papua New Guinea
- DevelopingIsrael's Sa'ar reveals clandestine October meeting with Somaliland president
- DevelopingNetanyahu meets Somaliland president as diplomatic push continues
Source and signal
- Internal intake