Israel Reveals Secret 2025 Visit by Somaliland President as Ties Deepen

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met in Jerusalem with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi and, at the start of the meeting, both men made statements to the press. Sa’ar said the countries had built their relationship quietly for months before Israel publicly recognized Somaliland and established ties, and he disclosed that Abdillahi had already made a secret visit to Israel in October 2025.

Sa’ar said, “It is a great honor to welcome my dear friend, the president of Somaliland, in Jerusalem. This is our second meeting in this room. We met here discreetly last October. Today you are here on a historic official visit as president of Somaliland, half a year after we established relations between us, which continue to deepen and strengthen.” He said he was proud of his role in building the relationship and of the dialogue that took place throughout 2025 with the president and his close team.

The foreign minister thanked Abdillahi for hosting him in Hargeisa in January, saying he felt the warmth and hospitality of Somaliland’s leaders and citizens. He also thanked him for the decision to open a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem, calling it a historic step and saying Somaliland was the eighth country to do so. Sa’ar said he expected more countries to follow, and praised the United States under Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018 and moving the American embassy there.

Sa’ar acknowledged that there are challenges in building the relationship, saying some people are trying to undermine it, but “they will not succeed.” He said neither Israel nor Somaliland would let others decide whom they may have diplomatic relations with, and argued that the ties are rooted not only in governments but in the peoples themselves. Abdillahi replied that he praised Sa’ar for his important role in advancing Somaliland-Israel relations, saying Sa’ar’s “vision, commitment and leadership” were central to the emerging strategic ties.