Ambassadors and representatives to the United Nations 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 City 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 that 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.
