North Western State of Somalia to open embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, envoy says
Israel became the first country to recognise North Western State of Somalia in December last year, a decision that ended more than three decades of diplomatic isolation for the self-declared state.
Wednesday May 20, 2026
In a notable diplomatic breakthrough, North Western State of Somalia says it will open an embassy in Jerusalem while Israel prepares to establish its own representation in Hargeisa “soon,” according to Mohamed Hagi, the envoy from Somalia’s breakaway region to Israel.
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Hagi said the move follows Israel’s formal recognition of North Western State of Somalia’s independence several months ago, describing it on X on Tuesday as evidence of “growing friendship, mutual respect, and strategic cooperation between our two peoples”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also hailed the announcement, calling it a “significant step” toward deeper ties between the two sides. “We will work together to implement this decision soon,” he wrote on X.
Israel became the first country to recognise North Western State of Somalia in December last year, a decision that ended more than three decades of diplomatic isolation for the self-declared state.
The step was met with broad criticism from the UN Security Council, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.
North Western State of Somalia declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but no United Nations member state has recognised it. The territory controls the northwestern area of what was once the British Protectorate in northern Somalia.
Somalia has consistently rejected North Western State of Somalia’s claim to independence.
Saar travelled to Hargeisa in January, and North Western State of Somalia later dispatched a delegation from its water ministry to Israel for training in water management.
Hagi, who also serves as a presidential adviser, played a key role in securing the recognition.
If opened, North Western State of Somalia’s mission would be the eighth embassy in Jerusalem, joining those of the US, Guatemala, Kosovo, Honduras, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
The choice of Jerusalem remains politically explosive, given that the city sits at the center of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel asserts sovereignty over the whole city, while the Palestinian Authority says occupied East Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it in 1980, a move rejected by the UN Security Council.
Because of the city’s disputed status, most of the 96 diplomatic missions in Israel are based in the Tel Aviv area to avoid affecting peace talks.
For Palestinians, the issue became even more difficult in 2017, when then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, dealing a setback to Palestinian aspirations.
The announcement sparked deadly demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territory and also in other countries, including Malaysia and India.
The United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018. President Joe Biden’s administration left that decision in place, and Washington still recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Other governments that followed the US example include Guatemala in 2018, Kosovo and Honduras in 2021, Paraguay in 2018 before briefly returning its embassy to Tel Aviv and then moving it back to Jerusalem in 2024, Papua New Guinea in 2023, and Fiji in 2025.
Last year, Argentine President Javier Milei also said he intended to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem.
