Somaliland Ambassador: "We feel like an integral part of Jerusalem and the State of Israel"

This week, an international event was held at the Tower of David complex in Jerusalem with the participation of dozens of ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from around the world, as part of the "Golden Bridge" organization's initiative to establish the Ambassadors' Forum in Jerusalem. The forum is intended to connect representatives of countries whose embassies operate from Jerusalem and to promote joint activity to strengthen the centrality of Israel's capital on the international stage, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the city's reunification.

During the event, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, alongside other ambassadors, signed the "Golden Bridge Charter," which aims to maintain a permanent system of roundtables between ambassadors to strengthen the city's international status. Huckabee noted in his remarks:

"I sign the charter willingly, and I thank all the ambassadors of the other countries who came here this evening."

Huckabee added that he welcomes the activity of the embassies in Jerusalem: "I see great importance in the US Embassy in Israel being in Jerusalem, something that should have happened many years ago. Connecting the ambassadors whose embassies operate from the city is an extremely important act that carries a clear message to the world regarding the eternal status of Jerusalem throughout the generations."

An especially moving moment occurred when the Somaliland Ambassador to Israel, Dr. Mohamed Haji, spoke and addressed the opening of his country's embassy in Jerusalem. Official relations between the countries began in December 2025, when Israel became the first country in the world to officially recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. In June, his country's embassy was opened in Jerusalem.

"Our country is happy that it opened the state's embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish people. I welcome the activity of 'Golden Bridge' and look forward to fruitful cooperation. We have only been in Jerusalem for a month and a half, but it is amazing how much we already feel like an integral part of the city and the landscape of the State of Israel," noted Haji.

Behind the initiative is the "Golden Bridge" organization, headed by Adv. Yehuda Zaretsky, a "Yakir Yerushalayim" (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem). The organization seeks to turn the Ambassadors' Forum into a permanent framework that will allow diplomatic representatives operating from the capital to promote cooperation and joint international initiatives.

According to Zaretsky: "The establishment of the forum on the threshold of the 60th anniversary of the city's reunification is intended to translate the diplomatic presence in Jerusalem into a continuous system of ties and cooperation. The goal is not to settle for a one-time event, but to create a permanent international roundtable around Jerusalem that will connect the countries, the ambassadors, and the initiatives operating from the capital."