World
Before the End of 2020, Reciprocal Opening of Embassies in Jerusalem and in Tegucigalpa
By Johnny Kim (SNN, Jerusalem) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Juan Orlando Hernandez spoke on 20 September 2020, and reaffirmed that Honduras and Israel are close friends and strategic allies who form part of an alliance of reciprocal support and both economic and political cooperation according to GPO.
President Hernández congratulated Prime Minister Netanyahu on the historic peace agreements known as the Abraham Accords, part of the peaceful transformation of that region, and offered best wishes for Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year 5781.
Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the authentic friendship and steadfast support Israel has received from Honduras and reiterated his country's commitment to strengthen this partnership through development, cooperation, tourism, investment, technology, agriculture, education and trade.
On January 1st of 2019 the United States, Israel and Honduras issued a joint statement following the trilateral meeting held in Brasilia, Brazil, between the U.S Secretary of state Michael R. Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández. The countries "agreed to strengthen political relations and coordinate cooperation on development in Honduras" and further "agreed to pursue a plan of action, which includes meetings in their three respective capitals, to advance the process of the decision to open embassies in both Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem".
The issue was raised by Prime Minister Netanyahu's spouse Sara Netanyahu during her official visit in Guatemala. President Hernandez, the first graduate of Israel's MASHAV leadership program elected to lead a national government, has for many years been an active friend of Israel. Under his leadership, Honduras became one of the two countries in Latin America, and one of the five in the world, to most often abstain from resolutions opposed by Israel. On December 2017, Honduras was one of the small number of countries that joined Israel in voting against the UN resolution that opposed the US moving its Embassy to Jerusalem.
In accordance with the plan of action and public commitments to initiate the first steps, Honduras, on March 2019 recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and on September 1st, 2019, opened its commercial office in the capital of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and Israel reciprocally on August 20, 2020 opened its trade and cooperation office in the capital of Honduras, the city of Tegucigalpa.
Today, with their flags flying over each other's capital cities, Israel and Honduras wish to announce the intention to complete the plan of action, before the end of this year, with the reciprocal opening and inauguration of their embassies in the national capitals, Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem.
Photo credit: GPO (Kobi Gideon)
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