The Media Line: Israel Lays Cornerstone for Somaliland Embassy as Ambassador Presents Credentials  

Israel Lays Cornerstone for Somaliland Embassy as Ambassador Presents Credentials  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, presented his credentials to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi last week at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa, where he laid the cornerstone for a new Israeli Embassy.   

Lotem’s arrival marks the latest step in diplomatic relations established after Israel became the first country to officially recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation in December 2025.   

“Israel is determined to develop and strengthen its relations with Somaliland,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.   

“The appointment of ambassadors, in accordance with the agreement reached when our countries established mutual recognition, is another important step in deepening the ties between us.”   

The embassy’s cornerstone-laying ceremony followed Lotem’s presentation of credentials. Somaliland already has a diplomatic presence in Israel, having opened its embassy in Jerusalem during President Abdullahi’s visit in June 2026.   

Relations between the two sides have developed rapidly since recognition was established. The December 2025 diplomatic breakthrough was framed in the spirit of the Abraham Accords and was followed by an exchange of ambassadors and cooperation in security, intelligence, water management and health care.   

High-level visits have accompanied that process. Sa’ar traveled to Somaliland in January 2026 in a historic visit following the establishment of relations. Abdullahi’s trip to Israel five months later included the opening of Somaliland’s embassy in Jerusalem.   

The appointment of Lotem and plans for an Israeli Embassy in Hargeisa give both sides diplomatic representation following the exchange of ambassadors.   

Somaliland, located in the Horn of Africa along the Gulf of Aden, declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. It operates as a self-declared de facto independent state. Israel’s recognition in December 2025 made it the first country to officially recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation.