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Honduras, Paraguay ‘Ready in Principle’ to Relocate Embassies to J’slm

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Paraguay and Honduras said they are both ready “in principle” to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem, on the condition that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes an official visit to their country, Army Radio reported on Sunday quoting a “senior Israeli diplomatic source.”

These comments followed on from Guatemala and, possibly the Czech Republic decision to follow suit from the United States’ December 6th decision.

Only seven countries — including Guatemala and Honduras — sided with the United States and Israel on a nonbinding December 21 UN General Assembly resolution rejecting US President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to move the currently situated Tel Aviv embassy to Jerusalem.

Although Paraguay has expressed pro-Israeli sentiment on a number of occasions, it abstained from the UN vote.

Netanyahu last year embarked on a diplomatic trip around Latin America last year, he did not stop in Paraguay or Honduras but met the former’s president Horacio Cartes in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There appears to be no current plans to visit the region in the near future.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley praised Honduras for standing by the US emphasized a special bond between the countries.

“That was not an easy decision for any country to have to vote on, but the people of Honduras stood with us in being able to make that decision for ourselves and decide where we want our embassy and to know that is our right,” Haley said, according to the Times of Israel, in a joint news conference with -elected Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

In February, Trump secured his embassy relocation intentions and announced that the move would coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary celebrations on May 14, a day that is also marked by the Palestinians as ‘The Nakba’ or ‘The Catastrophe’ when approximately 760,000 were fled or driven from their homes.

Guatemala, following suit, announced in a speech at the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC convention that its date for relocation would occur around a similar time, May 16. President Jimmy Morales defended the decision amid criticism from Palestinian factions and declared, “Israel is our ally and we must support it.”

“The state of Palestine considers this as a flagrant act of hostility against the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and international law,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said at the time, outright opposing Guatemala’s support for what they deem a “provocation.” Whilst Netanyahu has praised the decision.

The President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, in early March said the move was a “top priority”for him but acknowledged that “the subject is not currently on the agenda.” The Czech foreign ministry has reportedly opposed the move.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the largest thorns in a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

The international consensus has long been that the city’s status should be settled as part of a two-state negotiated settlement between the two.

By: i24 News

 

 

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