JERUSALEM 鈥� The small South American nation of Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem on Thursday, becoming the latest of just a small handful of countries to recognize the bitterly contested city as Israel鈥檚 capital.
The move marks a welcome diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has watched Israel鈥檚 international isolation deepen as the devastating drags on.
Paraguay first relocated its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 under the pro-Israel government of then-President Horacio Cartes but reversed its decision months later when a new administration came to power.
The decision of , a prot茅g茅 of Cartes who has followed in his mentor's footsteps, to reopen the Jerusalem embassy makes Paraguay the first country to make the move since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack last year triggered the war.
The fate of Jerusalem is one of the most intractable disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It鈥檚 also a controversial move. Israel views the entire city as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem, home to the Old City, with holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in 1967 in a move that was not recognized by the international community. Most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv.
Paraguay now joins the United States, , Guatemala, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea as countries that have stationed their embassy in Jerusalem.
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Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy鈥檚 inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel鈥檚 new Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, lavishing praise on President Pe帽a.
鈥淢y good friend Santiago,鈥� said Netanyahu, addressing Pe帽a. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a small nation. You鈥檙e a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history鈥e can win and we are winning.鈥�
鈥淛erusalem is the capital of Israel. It will always be the capital of Israel,鈥� Netanyahu said. 鈥淭hat will never change.鈥�
The ceremony came as the has brought a wave of condemnation on Israel, undermining its international standing.
The world鈥檚 top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants last month for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, accusing them of during the war in Gaza. The Israeli offensive has so far killed over 44,800 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry which does not say how many are combatants. The warrants turn Netanyahu and Gallant into internationally wanted suspects, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad.
Nevertheless, Pe帽a invited Netanyahu to visit Paraguay. Netanyahu hung a Jewish mezuzah, a small scroll containing verses from the Torah, on the doorway of the new Paraguayan embassy.
Israel's top diplomat, Saar, said Israel and Paraguay shared a 鈥渇riendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.鈥� He said he would soon visit Asunci贸n, Paraguay's capital, with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. He and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rub茅n Ram铆rez Lezcano signed a series of bilateral agreements at the ceremony.
Pe帽a thanked Netanyahu and said he looked forward to future collaboration with Israel.
鈥淭his is very important for you. We recognize that this is a very strong statement,鈥� Pe帽a said. 鈥淚srael is going to win, and the countries (that) are standing next to Israel, we are going to win.鈥�
Despite a tiny Jewish community, far smaller than neighbors Argentina and Brazil, landlocked Paraguay has become one of Israel鈥檚 closest allies in Latin America. The other countries in the region to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Guatemala and Honduras, have similarly strong evangelical churches.
Evangelicals, many of whom see Israel鈥檚 existence connected to biblical prophecy, are among the Israeli government's most hawkish supporters. In the U.S., conservative evangelicals have long inspired the Republican Party鈥檚 pro-Israel advocacy.
Paraguay's conservative leadership has sought to curry favor with former and by strengthening its alliance with Israel as well as Taiwan 鈥� two causes c茅l猫bres of Republicans.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ram铆rez Lezcano was among the first foreign dignitaries to meet with Trump following his November election victory.
Earlier this year, Pe帽a hosted 鈥� Trump鈥檚 pick to become Secretary of State 鈥� in what marked the first visit by a U.S. senator to the landlocked country in four decades.
The ascension of Pe帽a to the presidency in 2023 helped revive Paraguay's strong ties with Israel years after his predecessor, Mario Abdo Benitez, shuttered Paraguay's Jerusalem embassy and prompted Israel to retaliate by temporarily closing its own in Asunci贸n.
Under former President Cartes, a powerful cigarette tycoon for corruption, Paraguay immediately followed Trump's move to relocate the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and break with decades of policy that the city's status should be decided in peace talks.
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Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Josh Goodman in Miami contributed to this report.
