Saudi Arabia quietly removed a joint statement condemning Somaliland’s planned embassy in Jerusalem, raising questions about shifting regional diplomacy as President Donald Trump pressures Arab and Muslim nations to expand the Abraham Accords
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry quietly deleted a joint statement condemning Somaliland’s planned embassy opening in Jerusalem only hours after publishing it, prompting fresh scrutiny over shifting diplomatic dynamics in the Middle East and the future of normalization efforts with Israel.
The statement, initially released jointly with several Arab and Muslim countries, criticized Somaliland’s decision to establish an embassy in what the signatories described as “occupied Jerusalem,” calling the move a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions concerning the status of the city.
The declaration was later removed from all Saudi Foreign Ministry platforms, including its official website and X account, without explanation.
The original statement, signed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Palestine, Oman, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Mauritania, described Somaliland’s decision as “a direct infringement on the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem.”
The signatory states also reiterated their “complete rejection of any measures or steps aimed at granting legitimacy to entities or diplomatic missions in occupied Jerusalem.”
The statement further reaffirmed that East Jerusalem remains occupied Palestinian territory under the 1967 borders, citing United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 478.
The development was first reported by Middle East Monitor, which later removed its own report detailing the Saudi deletion, adding another layer of uncertainty to the episode.
The controversy emerges as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to expand the Abraham Accords following renewed negotiations tied to the Iran conflict.
According to Axios, President Donald Trump told leaders from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries during a recent conference call that he expects additional nations to normalize relations with Israel once a broader regional agreement over Iran is reached.
Trump reportedly spoke with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain regarding the emerging diplomatic framework.
“They all said, ‘We are with you on this deal. And if it doesn’t work we will be with you too,’” one U.S. official familiar with the conversation told Axios.
Behind closed doors, Trump reportedly pressed participating leaders to join the Abraham Accords after the Iran war concludes. According to two U.S. officials cited by Axios, the request was met with silence from some participants, particularly leaders from countries without formal diplomatic ties to Israel.
“There was silence on the line, and Trump joked and asked if they are still there,” one U.S. official reportedly said.
Trump later confirmed his broader ambitions in a Truth Social post, writing: “I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords.”
The White House push is believed to focus heavily on securing a historic Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement, though analysts say political realities across the region remain significant obstacles.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously shown openness toward normalization with Israel but has adopted a more cautious posture over the past year, particularly amid mounting regional tensions and domestic pressure tied to the Palestinian issue.
Saudi officials continue to insist that any normalization agreement must include “an irreversible and time-bound path” toward the establishment of a Palestinian state — a condition Israel’s current government has refused to accept.
Meanwhile, reactions to the backlash against Somaliland’s diplomatic outreach have exposed wider frustrations over the territory’s decades-long international isolation.
Hind Al-Dhaheri, an Emirati legal adviser, sharply criticized Arab governments over their treatment of Somaliland in a widely circulated post on X.
“When the regional system and the Arab League decided to impose a blockade on the free people of Somaliland for three and a half decades, depriving them of their most basic rights to banking representation, international education, diplomatic relations, and their fundamental right to possess a passport to travel as human beings, who was supposed to fill this gaping void?” she wrote.
“It was your diplomatic inaction, your passivity, and your exclusionary practices that created this gap, opening the floodgates for foreign intervention to impose its geopolitical reality,” she added.
Somaliland’s planned diplomatic mission in Jerusalem has become one of the most politically sensitive developments in the Horn of Africa and Middle East this year, linking the territory’s long-running recognition campaign with broader geopolitical struggles over Israel, Palestine and the future architecture of regional alliances.
While Saudi Arabia’s deletion of the statement has not been officially explained, the move is likely to fuel speculation about behind-the-scenes diplomatic calculations as Washington pushes Arab capitals toward a new phase of engagement with Israel.
