Haaretz Explains | Why is Israel, out of all UN member states, the first nation to recognize Somaliland?
The small African state seceded from Greater Somalia in 1991 and has not been recognized by any nation until now. But its advantageous geographic location near the Houthis in Yemen, and reports of talks on population transfer from Gaza, could have spurred Israel to set the precedent
A man holds a flag of Somaliland in front of the Hargeisa War Memorial monument in Hargeisa last year. Credit: AFP/LUIS TATO
The small African state seceded from Greater Somalia in 1991 and has not been recognized by any nation until now. But its advantageous geographic location near the Houthis in Yemen, and reports of talks on population transfer from Gaza, could have spurred Israel to set the precedent
04:57 PM • December 28 2025 IST
"Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?" U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Post over the weekend, after Israel became the world's first country to recognize the self-proclaimed republic in eastern Africa.
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