After US, Guatemala opens its embassy in Jerusalem

Jerusalem [Israel],: Guatemala on Wednesday opened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the second country to do so.

This comes two-days after the United States (US) inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem.

The inauguration was attended by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales.

“This is the beginning of something extraordinary, or I would say, the re-beginning of something extraordinary, which is the relationship between Guatemala and Israel,” the Times of Israel reported, citing Netanyahu, as saying.

“You are always among the first, always among the first.We remember our friends, and Guatemala is our friend – then and now,” Netanyahu went on, recalling that Guatemala was the second nation, after the US, to recognize Israel in May 1948.

Netanyahu also promised to visit Guatemala in his next trip to Latin America, according to the several media reports.

On Monday, in the presence of a US delegation, including US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a brand new US embassy was inaugurated at Jerusalem’s Arnona area.

Post the opening of the embassy, violent clashes erupted between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers at the Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of 62 agitators.