Guatemala to Recognize Jerusalem

Jerusalem Post reports:

The Foreign Ministry is in contact with more than 10 countries from every continent on the globe that expressed interest in following the US lead and moving their embassies to Jerusalem, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said on Monday.

Hotovely’s comments, in an interview on Reshet Bet, came following Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales decision to move his country’s embassy. He announced the move in a Facebook post on Sunday evening.

“Today I spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Morales wrote. “We spoke about the great relationships we have had as nations since Guatemala supported the creation of the State of Israel. One of the most relevant topics was the return of the Embassy of Guatemala to Jerusalem. I inform you that I have given instructions to the Chancellor [Foreign Minister] to initiate the process to make it possible. God bless you.”

The decision comes three weeks after the United States decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy, and four days after Guatemala was one of only nine countries in the UN to vote against a resolution slamming the US move. That resolution passed 128 to nine, with 35 abstentions.

Only three of the eight Central American countries voted against Israel at Thursday’s UN vote. Honduras, Guatemala’s neighbor to the east, with which Israel has strong ties, also voted against the measure and is widely believed to be a leading candidate to be the next country to announce it is moving its embassy as well.

Netanyahu spoke of Guatemala’s move at the Likud faction meeting in the Knesset, saying he spoke Sunday night with Morales, who is an Evangelical Christian, thanked him for Guatemala’s support at the UN, and expressed hope he would follow in Trump’s footsteps.

“From here I would like to say to the president of Guatemala, God bless you, my friend, President Morales,” Netanyahu said. “God bless both our countries – Israel and Guatemala. We are waiting for you here in Jerusalem.”