Honduras agrees to talks on embassy move to Jerusalem
Honduras has agreed to hold talks with Israel and the US about opening an embassy in the occupied city of Jerusalem, seeking to emulate the much-criticised move of US President Donald Trump and risking the ire of the Arab world.
The decision came after pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his trip to court Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro.
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Mr Netanyahu and President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras held a meeting in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, during the inauguration of the rightwing Brazilian leader.
The three agreed to hold meetings in the capitals of each country “to advance the decision process to open embassies in Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem”, and “strengthen political relations and co-ordinate development co-operation in Honduras” a joint statement by the three countries said.
Honduras, if it moved the embassy, would be only the third country to make the shift after the US and Guatemala.
Paraguay briefly moved its embassy but a new government reversed that decision in September.
Mr Hernandez wants to join Guatemala in following Mr Trump’s lead on Israel despite criticism from Arab nations and international censure about unilaterally recognising the city as Israel’s capital.
The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of any future state. Most of the international community wants the status of the city to be decided in negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Mr Hernandez said that the talks over the move represented an “important political alliance”. In return, Mr Netanyahu had agreed to open the Israeli market to Honduran coffee.
“The US, Israel and Honduras are uniting as strategic allies, committed to the development and security of their peoples,” he said in a tweet. “The alliance will have great results and positively affect the Honduran people.”
Honduras is trying to court Washington after falling foul of the president over illegal immigration into the US. Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, a poor nation of fewer
Honduras is trying to court Washington after falling foul of Donald Trump over illegal immigration into the US
than 10 million people, over the flow of migrants crossing Mexico to the US border.
When the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to oppose the US decision to relocate the embassy in December 2017, Honduras was one of only eight countries to vote against the resolution.
Mr Netanyahu said Brazil was also close to moving its embassy to Jerusalem. He said Mr Bolsonaro told him it was a matter of “when, not if”.
The Arab League has warned Brasilia against making the move, saying that it could harm trade ties with Arab nations.
Mr Netanyahu has also lobbied intensely for Australia to move its embassy. But Canberra said it would recognise only West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and did not move its embassy to the city, keeping it in Tel Aviv.