Somali president reportedly planning to consult parliament on possibility of opening diplomatic relations with Israel.

The government of Somalia may be preparing to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, according to a spokesperson for Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud.

Hebrew-language media outlets, including Channel 12 and Kan, cited a spokesperson for President Mohamud who claimed that the Somali head of government is poised to launch talks with parliament to lay the groundwork for formal ties with Israel.

During his first term in office, Mohamud met secretly in Tel Aviv with then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 2016 meeting came months after Somali and Israeli officials met in Jerusalem in December, 2015.

Photo: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud  - Reuters