Guatemala will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem two days after the US does so in May, the nation's president, Jimmy Morales, said on Sunday.
Speaking to a receptive audience at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington, Morales said that his government would follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump because it was the right thing to do. Both leaders announced intentions to move their nations' embassies to Jerusalem in December, but Morales – like Trump – has only recently specified his timetable.
Morales told The Jerusalem Post after his speech that Guatemala has received "the push-back that was expected" from the decision.
But he emphasized his belief that more countries would follow his lead.
"We've had unofficial conversations," he said, speaking through a translator, referring generally to nations he declined to identify in Latin America and Europe.
Morales also said the decision was driven by the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, which indicates that a nation gives only as much as it takes.
"There's a rule – the reciprocity rule. We believe that, with Israel, we have been good friends ever since the establishment of the Jewish state," he told the Post. He did not further explain what reciprocal move he was referring to.
In his speech, Morales said that Trump's move "opened space" for other nations to do what they have known to be right for some time – but one reason or another, lacked the courage or conviction to do so.
"I would like to thank President Trump for leading the way, his courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right," he said. "It is important to be the first. It is more important to do what is right."
He noted that Guatemala was one of the first countries to recognize Israel, to vote for partition, and to even place its embassy in Jerusalem in 1959 – a facility that was later moved.
During the remarks, which earned him a standing ovation, he stressed a number of times Guatemala's affinity for the U.S. and its desire for investment from its Jewish community. Asked by the Post why he had come to AIPAC to speak, he replied, "we received the invitation – so we took the opportunity to actually get closer to a very important American Jewish community."
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This article has been adapted from its original source.
