Following in the footsteps of the United States, Kosovo, and its neighbor Guatemala, Honduras was set to become the fourth country to relocate its embassy to the Israeli capital at a dedication ceremony at Jerusalem's Malha Technology Park, Thursday.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez arrived in Israel for the occasion.
Among the Israeli officials set to take part in the official dedication ceremony were Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister-designate and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz, as well as Israeli Ambassador to Honduras Eldad Golan and Honduran Ambassador to Israel Mario Castillo.
Hernandez's mother and sister, as well as Honduras' Deputy President Ricardo Antonio Alvarez Arias, Interior Minister Rigoberto Chang Castle, the head of the Honduran Public Prosecutor's Office Oscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas, and other officials flew to Israel on Dr. Miriam Adelson's plane.
While in Israel, Hernandez will meet with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
The opening of the Honduran Embassy is the culmination of a story 30 years in the making. It all began when the Israeli Embassy in the Central American country identified Hernandez as a figure that could prove influential in the country in the future. Invited to Israel by the Foreign Ministry's International Development Cooperation Agency, Hernandez took part in a young leadership course in 1991.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Unfortunately, Israel closed its embassy in the country's capital of Tegucigalpa due to budget cuts in 1
995 and appointed the then-envoy to Guatemala to represent Israel to Honduras in its place.
In the meantime, Hernandez went on to become a successful businessman. Seven years ago, he ran for the presidency and won. One of the first steps he took as president was to bolster ties with Israel. He visited the Jewish state four separate times while in office, keeping in touch with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose economic approach he saw as a model to be emulated.
A few months after the United States and Honduras' neighbor Guatemala relocated their embassies to Jerusalem, Hernandez agreed to Netanyahu's request to follow in their footsteps. Despite vocal opposition from the country's large pro-Palestinian community, the move went ahead as planned.
In return for the embassy's relocation to Jerusalem, Israel agreed to reopen its embassy in Honduras.
Hernandez was set to attend the dedication of the embassy before leaving office in the fall.
The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom.
