Israel recognizes Somaliland as a sovereign state

Israel has become the first nation in the world to formally recognize the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign and independent state. The announcement was made on Friday, December 26, after a year of diplomacy between Tel Aviv and Hargeisa.
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‎Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Abdirahman Cirro, formalized the ties via a joint declaration signed during a video call.
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‎Netanyahu linked the recognition to the Abraham Accords, the United States brokered framework for normalization between Israel and several Muslim-majority nations.
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‎The agreement establishes full diplomatic relations, including the exchange of ambassadors and the opening of embassies.
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‎Israel will partner with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology, and economic development.
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‎Analysts revealed that Somaliland’s 460-mile coastline along the Gulf of Aden offers Israel a forward base for monitoring Houthi movements and securing maritime trade routes through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
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‎Somaliland, formerly a British Protectorate, voluntarily united with the former Italian Somalia in 1960 but declared independence in 1991 after a brutal civil war.
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