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President Jimmy Morales announced decision on Facebook, making it the first country to mirror US’s controversial decision
The Old City in Jerusalem. Guatemala was one of few countries to vote with US at UN general assembly on the issue. Photograph: Jacek_Sopotnicki/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Agencies
Sun 24 Dec ‘17 23.58 GMT
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Guatemala’s president has announced that the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the first country to follow the lead of US president Donald Trump in ordering the change.
Guatemala was one of nine countries that voted with the United States and Israel on Thursday when the UN general assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution denouncing Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Q&A
What will US recognition of Jerusalem mean for the peace process?
Trump didn’t set any timetable for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and neither did Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales.
In a post on his official Facebook account on Christmas Eve, Morales said following talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he decided to instruct the foreign ministry to move the embassy.
No other country has their embassy for Israel in Jerusalem, though the Czech Republic has said it is considering such a move.
Trump upended decades of US policy with his announcement on December that he was recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which Palestinians saw as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city’s eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive religious sites. Many governments have long said that the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.
Trump’s announcement has set off weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces that have left 12 Palestinians dead.
Netanyahu has predicted others would follow the US led. He has made great efforts to reach out to Latin America in recent years as part of a campaign to counter longstanding support for the Palestinians at the United Nations.
Q&A
Why is recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital so contentious?
The resolution passed by the general assembly declared the US action on Jerusalem null and void. The 128-9 vote was a victory for Palestinians, but fell short of the total they had predicted. Thirty-five countries abstained and 21 stayed away from the vote.
Morales, a former television comedian with an important base of conservative Christian support, became embroiled in a bitter spat with the United Nations earlier this year, when a UN-backed anti-corruption body in Guatemala tried to impeach him.
Although Morales avoided impeachment, he failed in an attempt to expel the head of the body, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, after criticism from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.
The Old City in Jerusalem. Guatemala was one of few countries to vote with US at UN general assembly on the issue. Photograph: Jacek_Sopotnicki/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Agencies
Sun 24 Dec ‘17 23.58 GMT
Shares
7
Guatemala’s president has announced that the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the first country to follow the lead of US president Donald Trump in ordering the change.
Guatemala was one of nine countries that voted with the United States and Israel on Thursday when the UN general assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution denouncing Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Q&A
What will US recognition of Jerusalem mean for the peace process?
Trump didn’t set any timetable for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and neither did Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales.
In a post on his official Facebook account on Christmas Eve, Morales said following talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he decided to instruct the foreign ministry to move the embassy.
No other country has their embassy for Israel in Jerusalem, though the Czech Republic has said it is considering such a move.
Trump upended decades of US policy with his announcement on December that he was recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which Palestinians saw as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city’s eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive religious sites. Many governments have long said that the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.
Trump’s announcement has set off weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces that have left 12 Palestinians dead.
Netanyahu has predicted others would follow the US led. He has made great efforts to reach out to Latin America in recent years as part of a campaign to counter longstanding support for the Palestinians at the United Nations.
Q&A
Why is recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital so contentious?
The resolution passed by the general assembly declared the US action on Jerusalem null and void. The 128-9 vote was a victory for Palestinians, but fell short of the total they had predicted. Thirty-five countries abstained and 21 stayed away from the vote.
Morales, a former television comedian with an important base of conservative Christian support, became embroiled in a bitter spat with the United Nations earlier this year, when a UN-backed anti-corruption body in Guatemala tried to impeach him.
Although Morales avoided impeachment, he failed in an attempt to expel the head of the body, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, after criticism from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.
