Jerusalem (Somalia Today) – Somaliland, Somalia’s north-western breakaway region, announced Tuesday that it would open an embassy in Jerusalem, effectively recognising the contested city as Israel’s capital and crossing a major Arab and Muslim political red line in its pursuit of recognition.
Mohamed Hagi, Somaliland’s new ambassador to Israel, said the self-declared republic’s embassy “will be located in Jerusalem” and would open soon.
Israel, he said, would also establish an embassy in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, reflecting what he called “growing friendship, mutual respect, and strategic cooperation between our two peoples.”
The announcement marks one of the most politically sensitive steps yet in Somaliland’s foreign policy campaign, linking its long search for international recognition to the status of Jerusalem, one of the most contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Most countries avoid placing embassies in the city because its final status remains disputed.
‘Eternal capital’
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed the announcement and described it as a major step in deepening ties with Somaliland.
“I commend my friend, President of Somaliland Abdirahman Irro, on his important decision to establish Somaliland’s Embassy in our eternal capital, Jerusalem,” Sa’ar said.
“The opening of the embassy in Jerusalem will be another significant step in strengthening relations between our countries and nations. We will work together to implement this decision soon.”
Sa’ar said the mission would make Somaliland’s embassy the eighth foreign embassy in Jerusalem.
“Mr President, we look forward to hosting you soon in Jerusalem — our eternal capital!” he added.
A day earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received Hagi’s diplomatic credentials in Jerusalem, describing him as the “first-ever Ambassador of Somaliland to Israel.”
“I was delighted to receive the first-ever Ambassador of Somaliland to Israel, Mohamed Hagi, who presented his diplomatic credentials this morning,” Herzog said.
“This important new partnership between our nations will bring a shared future of cooperation in a range of fields to the benefit of both our peoples and the entire region,” he added.
Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on December 26, 2025, becoming the first country to do so and triggering strong condemnation from Somalia.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 as the rest of the country collapsed into civil war.
It has since built its own government, currency, security forces and electoral system, but remains outside the United Nations and is not recognised by the African Union.
Somalia rejects Somaliland’s claim to independence and says the territory remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
‘Disgraceful attempt’
Mohamed Ibrahim, a Mogadishu-based analyst on Middle East and Islamic affairs, said the embassy announcement was not a routine diplomatic move.
“For Somaliland, opening an embassy in Jerusalem is not a normal diplomatic step,” Ibrahim told Somalia Today.
“It is effectively recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a position most of the world still avoids because of the city’s disputed status. It is a disgraceful attempt to buy recognition by crossing one of the most sensitive political and religious red lines in the Muslim world.”
The status of Jerusalem has long been the subject of international dispute.
After Israel passed a law in 1980 declaring the city its capital, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 478, which called on states not to recognise measures altering the city’s status and urged countries to withdraw diplomatic missions from Jerusalem.
Most states have kept their embassies in or around Tel Aviv, although the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 under President Donald Trump. A small number of countries followed later.
For Muslim-majority countries, the issue carries deep religious and political weight because Jerusalem is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, as well as sacred Jewish and Christian places.
Recognition at a cost
Ibrahim said Somaliland’s move showed the high price Hargeisa was willing to pay for diplomatic recognition.
“The move exposes the moral cost of Somaliland’s search for recognition,” he said.
“Hargeisa is not merely opening a mission to Israel; it is aligning itself with Israel’s claim over Jerusalem, a step even many fully recognised states refuse to take.”
He added: “This is a humiliating bargain: Somaliland trading Somali, Arab and Muslim political consensus for a diplomatic headline.”
The announcement is likely to deepen tensions with Mogadishu, which has repeatedly accused foreign governments of violating Somalia’s sovereignty by engaging Somaliland as a separate state.
It also risks provoking anger among Somalis and wider Muslim audiences at a time of intense outrage over Israel’s war in Gaza and its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Somaliland officials have framed ties with Israel as a strategic partnership that could bring investment, technology, security cooperation and greater diplomatic access.
But critics say the Jerusalem embassy decision could isolate Hargeisa from Arab and Muslim governments that remain sensitive to the Palestinian cause and opposed to unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
