Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on social media platform X that he hosted President Abdullahi during a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for what he described as a “historic State Visit” to inaugurate Somaliland’s embassy in Jerusalem. He added that the move marked the beginning of formal bilateral relations between the two sides.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also met the Somaliland leader during the visit, with both leaders appearing together in Jerusalem, according to images and official accounts from the meeting.

Somaliland, which declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war but is not widely recognized internationally, becomes the eighth country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, joining a list that includes the United States and several smaller states.

The opening has drawn strong criticism from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which said the move violated international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. The OIC reiterated its position that Israel has no sovereignty over Jerusalem and that attempts to alter the city’s legal or political status are considered null and void.

Jerusalem remains one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with most countries maintaining embassies in Tel Aviv due to disputed claims over the city.

Israel formally recognised Somaliland’s independence in December, according to the report, further deepening ties between the two sides ahead of the embassy opening.

Prince Faisal conducted an emergency meeting for the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to voice the objections against Israel’s plans to annex West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

The plan was outlined in a US peace plan which has been widely criticized and rejected by the Palestinians.

Reyad al-Maliki, the foreign minister of Palestine, said in the meeting that the Israeli settlements aim to change the demographics, and said that they will not back-off from the Arab Peace Initiative.

Yousef al-Othaimeen, the secretary-general of OIC, said that Israel’s occupation plans violate international law and relevant UN resolutions. He also reiterated that OIC supports the Palestinian leadership and his decisions against illegal Israeli move.

“Any illegal change to the Palestinian lands threatens the two-state solution”, al-Othaimeen said.

OIC fully supports the Palestinian people’s right of establishing a sovereign state based on the 1967 borders with east-Jerusalem as its capital, and late King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud proposed Arab Peace Initiative to reconcile disputes between Palestine and Israel. However, the Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as “non-starter”. On the other-side, Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas also rejected the initiative adding further fuel to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The General Secretarait of OIC Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed al-Othaimeen reiterated the OIC’s position on the Kashmir dispute and expressed full support for the Kashmiri people, Arab News reported.

He reaffirmed Kashmir’s position on a UN-supervised plebiscite in the region.

In a statement on the Kashmir dispute and he stressed the need for resumption of dialogue between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India.

He said that the dialog between India and Pakistan is a prerequisite for development, peace and stability in South Asia.

“The General Secretariat reaffirms the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on the internationally recognized status of Jammu and Kashmir dispute and its final disposition through a UN-supervised plebiscite,” it said and called for the “immediate lifting of the curfew, restoration of communication and the respect for the fundamental rights of Kashmiris,” the statement read.

Modi Government in India revoked Article-370 and Article-35A in Kashmir, with an immediate curfew and complete communication blackout. The move has incurred international repurcussions.