Mogadishu, Somalia – Israel rolled out a lavish state welcome for Somaliland’s president in Jerusalem, extending honours rarely accorded to the leader of a territory still unrecognised by any country other than Israel. President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, arrived last Sunday for the first state visit by a Somaliland leader, six months after Israel became the first country to recognise the breakaway region’s independence from Somalia. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3Israel welcomes Somaliland president in ‘historic’ visit list 2 of 3Somaliland president visits Israeli Knesset on tour list 3 of 3The Horn of Africa needs reconciliation, not new borders end of list “I am here as the president of Somaliland for the first state visit ever,” Abdullahi told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting. “For 35 years we have been asking the world to see us. And Israel and you yourself were the first to see us and recognise us.” Netanyahu framed the decision through the lens of Jewish history. “It is a very natural thing for us to do, because we remember as the Jewish people, a small people, who asked for the recognition of their rights from the world, so there is a natural sympathy to you,” he said. The visit combined high-profile ceremony with what officials said were substantive discussions. A strategic cooperation agreement was signed alongside a series of meetings, underscoring both sides’ ambition to turn diplomatic recognition into a broader partnership encompassing security, trade and regional strategy. Somaliland sits across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen and controls a long stretch of coastline overlooking one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. As Netanyahu noted during a joint appearance with Abdullahi, its territory lies at the opposite end of the Red Sea, adjacent to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow gateway linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and a critical artery for global trade. For Israel, which has spent the past two years exchanging fire with Yemen’s Houthis while watching Red Sea shipping repeatedly disrupted, the region has assumed growing strategic importance. The visit also came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, a move that has intensified pressure on Netanyahu from critics who argue it leaves many of Israel’s core security concerns unresolved. Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East analyst at Chatham House, said Somaliland offered Israel a rare strategic opening at a time when it faces greater regional isolation after successive conflicts with Iran and its allies. Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen. Yes, keep me updated “They’ve not got many friends, and Israel is more alone now too,” Mekelberg told Al Jazeera. “And if you look at the geography, it just makes a lot of sense.” Abdullahi was received by President Isaac Herzog at the presidential residence in Jerusalem, before meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and much of Israel’s political and security leadership. He also embraced the symbolism of a full state visit, laying a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, and received the Friends of Zion Award from the Friends of Zion Museum, an honour bestowed on foreign leaders regarded as strong supporters of Israel.