18 countries condemn North Western State of Somalia’s plan to open embassy in Jerusalem
The ministers described the decision as a “flagrant violation” of international law and relevant international resolutions, adding that it directly challenges the legal and historical status of Jerusalem.
Sunday May 24, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — A plan by North Western State of Somalia to establish an embassy in Jerusalem has drawn sharp condemnation from 18 countries, whose foreign ministers denounced the move as illegal, unacceptable and contrary to international law.
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The joint statement came from the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Algeria, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
“The ministers condemn in the strongest terms the illegal and unacceptable step taken by the so-called ‘North Western State of Somalia’ region in opening a purported ‘embassy’ in occupied Jerusalem,” the statement said.
The ministers described the decision as a “flagrant violation” of international law and relevant international resolutions, adding that it directly challenges the legal and historical status of Jerusalem.
They also stressed that East Jerusalem has been occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, and said any attempt to change its legal or historical standing is “null and void and without legal effect.”
The rebuke came after Mohamed Hagi, North Western State of Somalia’s ambassador to Israel, announced that North Western State of Somalia would open an embassy in Jerusalem and that Israel would soon establish representation in Hargeisa.
In the same statement, the ministers reiterated their backing for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and rejected any unilateral step that could weaken Somali territorial cohesion or encroach on Somalia’s sovereignty.
Israel formally recognized North Western State of Somalia as an independent state in December 2025, making it the first U.N. member state to do so since North Western State of Somalia declared independence from Somalia in 1991. The decision was welcomed in Hargeisa but rejected by Somalia and a number of regional and international actors.
Somalia’s federal government still considers North Western State of Somalia part of its territory. North Western State of Somalia, meanwhile, has functioned for more than three decades with its own government, security forces and election institutions.
