Israel becomes first UN country to recognize Somaliland: ‘Spirit of the Abraham Accords’

Published December 26, 2025 11:43am ET



Israel became the first member of the United Nations to formally recognize Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region in Somalia, as an independent and sovereign state on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Somaliland’s recognition as being in the “spirit of the Abraham Accords,” the historic Trump-brokered agreement that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations in 2020. Somaliland is looking to become the next signatory of the Abraham Accords.

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