A group of 21 Arab and Muslim countries, along with the Palestinian Authority which was listed as “the State of Palestine", on Thursday issued a statement condemning Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Somaliland earlier this week.
Sa’ar’s name was not mentioned in the statement, and he was only referred to as “the Israeli official".
The statement was signed by Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen.
The countries noted their statement from December 27, 2025, rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland.
They expressed their strong condemnation of what was described as “the recent illegal visit by the Israeli official to ‘Somaliland’ Region of the Federal Republic of Somalia".
They stated that “the said visit constitutes a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and undermines established international norms and United Nations Charter."
The countries also said they “reaffirm their unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia" and “underline that encouraging secessionist agendas are unacceptable and risk exacerbating tensions in an already fragile region."
They called on Israel to “fully respect Somalia's sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity and honor its obligations in compliance with international law," and demanded “immediate revocation of the recognition issued by Israel."
Sa’ar’s visit to Somaliland came less than two weeks after Israel announced its recognition of the self-declared republic, which Somalia considers part of its territory.
Somalia had already condemned Sa’ar’s visit, labeling it an “unauthorized incursion".
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland was met with condemnation from the European Union, as well as from a coalition of Arab and Islamic countries, joined by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization threatened to fight any attempt by Israel “to claim or use parts of Somaliland".
The terrorist organization said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state showed it “has decided to expand into parts of the Somali territories" to support “the apostate administration in the northwest regions."