The unusual action was taken while Israel’s homicidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza continues to worsen its isolation on the international stage.
The tiny South American country of Paraguay has reopened its embassy in Jerusalem, joining the select few nations who acknowledge the hotly contested city as the capital of Israel.
Under then-President Horacio Cartes’ pro-Israel administration, Paraguay first moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018. However, months later, when a new government took office, the country changed its mind.
President Santiago Pena, a protégé of Cartes who has emulated his mentor, has decided to restore the embassy in Jerusalem, making Paraguay the first nation to do so since Israel began its ruthless war on Gaza in October of last year.
Israel’s 1967 annexation of East Jerusalem, which included the Old City and sites revered by Christians, Muslims, and Jews, was not accepted by the international community. Tel Aviv is home to the embassies of the majority of nations.
Decision reversed
Pena’s arrival in Israel early on Wednesday, the eve of his embassy relocation, was praised as “courageous” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The president of Paraguay met with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, during a welcoming session of the Israeli Knesset (parliament).
Herzog’s office claimed in a written statement that the Paraguayan embassy’s opening in Jerusalem was “historic.”
In the middle of 2018, the US relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that sparked strong international outcry. Most nations declined to move their embassies to Jerusalem, but Guatemala, Kosovo, and Honduras did as the United States did.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is still centered on Jerusalem, with Palestinians expecting that East Jerusalem, which is currently under Israeli occupation, will one day be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
