Honduras to move embassy to Jerusalem

Honduras is forging ties with Israel and will move its embassy to Jerusalem this year, and Israel will open an embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, the Prime Minister’s Office announced. The two new embassies will open by the end of 2020, the statement said.

The announcement followed a Sunday conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández. “With their flags flying in the capitals of the two countries, Israel and Honduras declare their intention to complete the action plan before the end of the current year, with a mutual opening and inauguration of their embassies in the national capitals, Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem,” the statement said.

Hernández issued a statement on Twitter, writing, “We hope to take this historic step before the end of the year, as long as the pandemic allows it.”

Israel opened a representative office in the Honduran capital last month. Honduras has the second-largest population of Palestinians in Latin America, after Chile.