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Following U.S. and Guatemala, Paraguay To Move Embassy To Jerusalem

Israeli officials announced that Paraguay will relocate its embassy to Jerusalem by months-end, making it the third country following the United States and Guatemala to make the move. Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes is expected to visit Israel on May 21 or 22 to inaugurate the new mission. Notably, the Paraguayan leader employed multiple Israeli advisers, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s former chief of staff Avi Harrow, during his successful election campaign in 2013. Since assuming power, Cartes has made a point of strengthening ties with Israel, defying a longstanding general disposition among Latin American countries. To this end, Asunción has consistently either abstained or supported Israel in votes at the United Nations, including in December when Paraguay was one of 35 countries that abstained in a Generally Assembly vote to denounce Washington for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The American Embassy in Jerusalem is set to formally be opened on May 14, followed two days later by the Guatemalan mission. Despite rampant speculation, the White House confirmed Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend the opening of the embassy. Instead, the American delegation will be led by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and will include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, senior adviser Jared Kushner and the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced that a piece of land near the site of the new mission will be named, “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”