Guatemala’s Israel embassy to move to Jerusalem in mid-May

Guatemala says it will transfer its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem the second week of May. (FilePhoto)

Guatemala says it will transfer its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem the second week of May, in parallel with a similar and criticized move by the United States of its own diplomatic mission scheduled for around the same time.

Heinz Heimann, spokesman for Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, announced the timeline Monday and defended the move by saying foreign policy is a matter of sovereignty. Heimann added that for security reasons the address of the new embassy is not being made public for now.

The announcement came a day after Morales met in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US Embassy is slated to move in mid-May into a temporary location in Jerusalem that is now an annex of the US consulate.