Paraguay Stablish Embassy in Israel Breaking International Consensus

Paraguayan President with the israeli heads of state, Photo: @rnpy920am

December 11, 2024 Hour: 9:49 pm

The decision not only represents a change of diplomatic headquarters, but also a political declaration with profound implications.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña inaugurated the Paraguayan embassy in Jerusalem, a decision that breaks with international consensus and positions the South American nation in a complex geopolitical scenario, taking into account the complex situation in the Middle East.

The ceremony, held on Tuesday in the Israeli capital, not only represents a change of diplomatic headquarters, but also a political declaration with profound implications. Peña ratified Jerusalem as the «eternal capital of Israel», challenging the positions of most countries that do not officially recognize this status.

Currently, only five nations maintain embassies in Jerusalem: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea. With this decision, Paraguay joins this group in an international context highly polarized by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly celebrated this endorsement, noting that «there are many who turn their backs», while Israeli President Isaac Herzog stressed the symbolic significance of the gesture, especially after «an extremely difficult year» for Israel.

Agradezco al Presidente del Estado de Israel @Isaac_Herzog por la cálida bienvenida y el valioso diálogo sobre la histórica relación de amistad que une a nuestros países. Paraguay e Israel han caminado juntos en los momentos clave de la historia, construyendo una alianza que… pic.twitter.com/BFVAEJfBdC
— Santiago Peña (@SantiPenap) December 11, 2024

This diplomatic movement has its roots in a previous attempt in 2018, when Paraguay initially moved its embassy and then reversed. The current administration not only reiterates its determination, but it does so with a discourse that emphasizes «solidarity and fraternity».

President Peña did not skimp on clear definitions, referring to Hamas as «criminals» and marking a position that distances itself significantly from the traditional Latin American neutrality in conflicts of the Middle East.

While Israel celebrates this support from Paraguay, the European allies continue to be cautious, resisting actions that could be interpreted as violating historic UN resolutions on the status of Jerusalem.

The big question that opens up is how Paraguay will sustain this positioning in an international arena increasingly multipolar, where diplomatic alliances require a delicate balance between principles, economic interests and geopolitical projection.

The inauguration of this embassy is a declaration of principles that could reshape Paraguay’s relations on the international, and even more so Latin American stage.