Somaliland

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

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

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

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

|ByDR. LAUREN DAGAN AMOSS
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.

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

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.

|BySHUKI FRIEDMAN

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.

JANUARY 10, 2026ByMICHAEL FREUND
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.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
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.  

JANUARY 8, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
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.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
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. 

JANUARY 6, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST PODCASTS
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.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByYARON BUSKILA
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.

In first visit, Sa'ar says Somaliland 'not a virtual state' in jab at Palestinian state recognition

Sa'ar is the first Israeli official to visit Somaliland since Jerusalem recognized its independence on December 26.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByAMICHAI STEIN, MIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.

Defending persecuted Christians strengthens Israel - opinion

Defending persecuted Christians strengthens Israel’s security, influence, and regional position.

JANUARY 5, 2026ByPESACH WOLICKI
A woman raises her hands during a mass prayer with the one thousand Christian Pastors on the southern steps of the Western Wall in Jerusalem on December 4, 2025.

Somaliland chose peace, the world chose to look away - opinion

In a region scarred by war, one society chose reconciliation. Why does global diplomacy ignore Somaliland?

JANUARY 3, 2026BySHMUEL LEGESSE
Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognising Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on December 26, 2025.

Somaliland exists: recognition is about truth, not favor - opinion

Nadifa Mohamed’s novel and Israel’s recognition of Somaliland show why acknowledging marginalized lives is a matter of justice.

JANUARY 3, 2026ByNANCY HARTEVELT KOBRIN
A woman dressed in Somaliland's flag colours parades to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of their Independence in Hargeisa, Somaliland, May 18, 2024.

Why Somaliland works and the international system pretends it does not - opinion

Recognizing Somaliland would establish three principles the international order is not yet prepared to tolerate: performance matters, secession can stabilize, and colonial borders are not sacred.

JANUARY 2, 2026ByDAN PERRY
This aerial view shows residents waving Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognising Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on December 26, 2025.