The Guatemalan Embassy in Israel relocated to Jerusalem Tuesday, with a festive ceremony attended by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This concludes a successful and exciting process that many good people were of, which began immediately after U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration in December that he planned to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something that came to fruition on Monday.
Morales' decision to follow suit was not only just and right but also courageous and historic.
It was courageous because it is not easy to be the first president in the world, after Trump, to order the relocation – or more accurately, the return – of his country's embassy to Jerusalem. Morales and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel faced considerable pressure, both at home and abroad, to renege on this decision, as they were warned that the political and economic repercussions that might befall their country in the wake of this decision could be harsh.
To my delight, the two displayed unwavering courage and stood by the decision.
Being the second country in the world to move its embassy to Jerusalem was made even more historic by the fact that the presidential decision goes full circle with respect to the historical relationship the Jewish and Central American states share, with which many Israelis are unfamiliar.
Former U.S. President Harry Truman was the first leader in the world to recognize the State of Israel, 11 minutes after it was established on May 14, 1948. Not everyone knows this, but Guatemala was one of the first countries in the world to recognize the Jewish state right after the U.S. had done so.
Now, 70 years later, history is repeating itself. Once again Guatemala has found itself the second in the world to follow the U.S. lead and return its embassy to Jerusalem.
Israel owes Guatemala a debt dating back to a few months after Israel declared its independence. It was then-Guatemalan Ambassador to the United Nations Jorge García-Granados who, between May and June 1947, was an active member of the U.N. Special Commission on Palestine that recommended the Partition Plan.
In the weeks, days and hours before the fateful decision on Nov. 29 of that year, García-Granados spared no effort to convince the other Latin American ambassadors to support the decision. He was so successful that around a third of the countries that voted in favor of the plan were Latin American and Caribbean.
The diplomatic relations between the two countries in the 70 years that followed have been characterized by a deep friendship and diverse collaboration.
Over time, both at home and abroad, Israel has trained over 7,000 Guatemalan professionals in the fields of agriculture, water management, education, medicine, entrepreneurship, innovation and more, through MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry's Agency for International Development Cooperation.
This year, in 2018, the Foreign Ministry designated Guatemala as a target country for development. MASHAV head Gil Haskel visited Guatemala as part of this new initiative and discussed the country's development with 22 relevant government officials. In addition, our two countries are boosting their collaboration in the fields of economics, trade and tourism.
As the proud ambassador to this friendly country, I will do my best to further expand the friendly relations between us.
Thank you, Guatemala! Thank you for supporting us 70 years ago and thank you for your courageous decision to bring your embassy back to Jerusalem!
