Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi’s trip is an opportunity to move “from rhetoric to action,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.
The president of Somaliland has made his first visit to Israel, months after the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu controversially recognized the breakaway region as an independent nation.
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi was welcomed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday at the start of what officials described as the Somaliland leader’s first state visit to Israel.
Herzog said it was “great honor” to receive Abdullahi in the visit “signifies great potential for new partnerships” between “two countries” adding that the two parties must now move “from declarations to actions.”
Somaliland’s presidency said Abdullahi was received with all the honors of the government and that the two leaders held talks on economic cooperation and investment, innovation, technology, agriculture, and regional security. The Somaliland leader also visited the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Mount Herzl, and the Grove of Nations, where he planted a tree.
Speaking in a press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Abdullahi thanked West Jerusalem for receiving him and said the people of Somaliland spent decades seeking international recognition.
“They were asking only one question. To see us. Only one country decided to see us,” He said, referring to Israel.
Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent nation in December, drawing condemnation from Somalia and several African governments. Netanyahu’s office said at the time that the two sides had signed a joint declaration and that the move had been made. “in the spirit of the Abrahamic Covenant.”
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The President of the Republic of Somaliland visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Mount Herzl, and the Grove of Nations, where he planted a tree in celebration. pic.twitter.com/nfGtvoABAd– MFA Somaliland (@somalilandmfa) June 14, 2026
Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland to be part of its territory, has rejected Israel’s recognition as illegal and a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also condemned Somaliland’s plan to open an embassy in Jerusalem, saying any unilateral move by the breakaway region has no legal effect. Israel remains the only nation to recognize Somaliland.
The African Union has also rejected the move, warning that it risks putting a “danger model” and may undermine peace and stability throughout the continent.
Somaliland gained independence from Britain in 1960, while Somalia gained independence from Italy shortly after. The two countries united as the Republic of Somalia in 1960 until Somaliland declared independence in 1991 following a decade-long civil war. Abdullahi, who took office in December 2024, has made gaining international recognition for Somaliland a top priority.
His trip to Israel follows the opening of a new Somaliland representative office in Taipei last Friday, despite objections from Somalia and China. Somaliland’s representative in Taiwan, Mahmoud Adam Jama Galaal, said Beijing and Mogadishu failed to pressure Hargeisa to cut ties with the island, which he described as “a very important partner.”
“We have the right to choose who we have a relationship with. It is our right,” He said, according to Reuters.
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