Somaliland president visits Knesset

By Sam Sokol 16 June 2026, 8:08 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in the Knesset, June 16, 2026. (Noam Moskowitz/Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi visits the Knesset, a day after opening his country’s embassy in Jerusalem.

Writing in the parliamentary guestbook, Abdullahi calls his visit a “historic moment for me” and expresses his appreciation “on behalf of all 6.5 million citizens of Somaliland.”

Abdullahi is making his first state visit abroad since becoming president. In December, Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991.

Receiving Abdullahi, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana says it is “an exciting and special day for us” and that the opening of the Muslim nation’s embassy in Jerusalem’s Har Hotzvim hi-tech park was “an important and significant step.”

Ohana was joined by the foreign, defense, and energy ministers to greet the Somaliland president.

“The entire nation of Israel was thrilled along with you to see the outburst of joy and the waving of Israeli flags in Somaliland upon the. announcement of official recognition,” Ohana tells him. “It is important to us that the people of Somaliland know that we are your true friends.”