Somaliland opens embassy in Jerusalem after Israel's recognition

Somaliland has opened an embassy in Jerusalem, six months after Israel became the first country to recognise it as an independent nation. The diplomatic mission was opened at a technology park in West Jerusalem during President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi's official visit to Israel. The move adds a new layer to the disputed status of both Somaliland and Jerusalem, and has drawn criticism from Somalia and other opponents of the recognition.

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The opening took place on Tuesday, according to the supplied report, and came after Israel's recognition of Somaliland last December. During a meeting with the Somaliland president, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of what he called a deep spiritual bond between the two peoples. He also praised Somaliland's decision to open its mission in Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, where most foreign embassies are based.

Somalia said any engagement with what it called the secessionist administration in northern Somalia was a violation of its sovereignty. The Palestinian Authority foreign ministry also condemned the opening, describing it as a flagrant violation of international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy. The report says the mission is in West Jerusalem, a city whose status remains one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1980, a move not recognised by most of the international community. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. The development matters because it links Somaliland's long-running quest for wider recognition with one of the most contested diplomatic questions in the region.

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Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but has not been recognised by most countries or international organisations. Israel's decision to recognise it last year was criticised by dozens of countries and organisations, including China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the African Union, according to the report. The opening of an embassy in Jerusalem may deepen ties between the two sides, but it also risks further friction with Somalia and with states that oppose moves seen as legitimising Israeli sovereignty over the city.

The report says relations between Israel and Somaliland have been building since the recognition. Earlier this year, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar made an official visit to Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa. That visit, together with the embassy opening, suggests a more formal diplomatic relationship is emerging.

The choice of Jerusalem is also significant because many countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv, including the UK, after the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 during Donald Trump's first term. What remains unclear is whether other countries will follow any part of this diplomatic shift, or whether the move will remain largely symbolic. It is also not clear how Somalia and regional organisations will respond beyond their initial criticism.

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