Honduras will likely relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem within the next two months, a senior Israeli official told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
The move will be accompanied, he said, by the opening of an Israeli embassy in Honduras, upgrading Israel’s representation in Tegucigalpa from a consulate to a full embassy.
The official also discussed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent trilateral meeting with American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
“Honduras had requested that Israel [help] open talks with the US, resulting in the trilateral meeting between [Netanyahu, Hernandez) and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Israel wants to help Latin American countries deal with their water problems, economic growth, and security, and the US has a shared interested in this.”
The Israeli official said the trilateral meeting was a major success.
“Israel received almost everything it requested. Israel had eight requests, and got seven of them. The one issue left unaddressed from Israel’s requests is the jet fighter deal with Croatia.”
The meeting took place Tuesday night in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia, following the inauguration of Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lawmakers in Honduras backed the embassy move in April, passing a non-binding resolution calling on Hernandez to follow the US and Guatemala in moving their embassies to Jerusalem.
A report last week indicated that the Hernandez administration is prepared to move the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem, provided that Israel reciprocate with its own changes vis-à-vis its relationship with Honduras.
Chief among the Honduran requests is the call for Israel to upgrade its diplomatic mission in Honduras by opening a full embassy.