Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is reportedly set to visit Israel next week for meetings with Israeli leaders and the planned opening of a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem, marking a potentially historic diplomatic milestone
HARGEISA — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is expected to travel to Israel next week for what Israeli media have described as a historic state visit, a diplomatic engagement that could further elevate Somaliland’s international profile and deepen its longstanding relationship with the Jewish state.
According to a report by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth (Ynet), the visit is scheduled to take place between June 15 and June 17 and is expected to culminate with the opening of a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem.
The report says President Abdullahi, widely known as President Irro, will hold meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the three-day visit.
The president had reportedly been scheduled to visit Israel on two previous occasions, but those plans were postponed.
The anticipated visit follows Somaliland’s announcement in May that it intended to establish a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The declaration came one day after Somaliland’s ambassador was officially received in Israel, a move celebrated by senior Israeli officials.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar publicly welcomed the decision, writing:
“I congratulate my friend, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, on his important decision to establish the Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem, our eternal capital.”
For Somaliland, which has spent more than three decades seeking broader international recognition, the reported visit represents another step in its strategy of expanding diplomatic partnerships beyond the Horn of Africa.
Supporters of Somaliland argue that the country’s record of relative political stability, democratic elections, and security cooperation distinguishes it from the instability that has affected much of Somalia over the past three decades.
According to the Ynet report, the relationship between Somaliland and Israel has evolved steadily over the years, culminating in what the publication describes as Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December 2025 and the establishment of formal diplomatic relations.
The reported developments have already generated debate among political observers across the region.
Yusuf Abdi Gabobe, a Somaliland journalist and political and security analyst, argued that closer ties between Somaliland and Israel would likely provoke criticism from several regional powers but suggested that such reactions have become increasingly predictable.
“Now that the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro is expected to visit Israel next week, Somalilanders can sit back and enjoy the familiar spectacle of the Saudi-Turkish-Qatari-Egyptian axis scrambling to draft yet another round of condemnations, denunciations, objections, concerns, and expressions of ‘deep disappointment,'” Gabobe wrote on X.
He added that many governments criticizing Somaliland’s outreach maintain their own direct or indirect channels with Israel when it serves their strategic interests.
“The irony, of course, is that these same governments maintain direct or indirect relations with Israel whenever it suits their strategic interests. Yet when Somaliland pursues its own diplomatic and economic interests, suddenly the sky is falling and regional stability is allegedly at risk.”
Gabobe characterized the expected criticism as largely symbolic, writing that for many Somalilanders, international condemnations have become “less of a deterrent and more of a ceremonial tradition.”
The reported visit comes at a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where international powers have increasingly focused on maritime security, trade routes, and strategic partnerships.
For Somaliland’s leadership, advocates say, strengthening ties with Israel reflects a broader foreign policy objective of diversifying international relationships and demonstrating its capacity to engage as a stable and reliable partner on the global stage.
Neither Somaliland’s presidency nor Israeli authorities had publicly released a detailed official itinerary at the time of writing, but if the reported visit proceeds as planned, it would mark one of the most significant diplomatic milestones in Somaliland’s modern history.
