The Foreign Ministry’s appointments committee, led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, approved two new diplomatic postings on Wednesday.

Michael Lotem, currently a non-resident economic envoy to Africa, was appointed as Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland.

Lotem previously served as ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, and will initially take on the Somaliland role in a non-resident capacity.

Additionally, Yahel Vilan was named Israel’s ambassador to Singapore and East Timor, after previously serving in Kenya and Serbia.

Israel formally recognized Somaliland in December 2025, becoming the first country to do so, despite Somalia continuing to claim the territory as its own.

Less than two weeks after that recognition, Sa’ar traveled to Somaliland, marking an early step in strengthening ties between the sides.

In January, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Following the meeting, Herzog wrote, “I welcome the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two nations and look forward to deepening our bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both our peoples.”

Abdirahman wrote, “Our discussions focused on strengthening and advancing bilateral relations between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel.”