Israel Defends Recognition of Somaliland at UN Amid Criticism From Regional States

Somaliland’s president welcomed Israel’s recognition and said his country would seek to join the Abraham Accords.

Ambassadors and representatives to the U.N. vote during a U.N. Security Council meeting on a U.S. resolution on the Gaza peace plan at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on Nov. 17, 2025. Angela Weiss/AFP

Israel defended its decision to formally recognize Somaliland at the United Nations on Dec. 29, pushing back against criticism from Arab, African, and regional states that warned the move could destabilize the Horn of Africa and was linked to broader Israeli objectives tied to Gaza.

Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Dec. 26.