The Knesset held a ceremony on Tuesday to honor Guatemala for its role in the United Nations vote on Resolution 181, which called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent.
Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Knesset Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein said, ”The relations between Israel and Guatemala are deep and historic. We still remember and value the actions of Guatemala`s ambassador to the UN at the time, Dr. Jorge García-Granados, who recruited the Latin American countries to vote in favor of the Partition Plan.” Edelstein added, ”Had Guatemala voted differently on that fateful day, the resolution would not have passed, and history as we know it would have been much different.”
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales attended the ceremony. He noted that his country was among the first to recognize Israel in 1948.