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| Guatemala to follow Trump by moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem | Guatemala to follow Trump by moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Guatemala’s president has announced that the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the first country to follow the lead of US president Donald Trump in ordering the change. | Guatemala’s president has announced that the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the first country to follow the lead of US president Donald Trump in ordering the change. |
| Guatemala was one of nine countries that voted with the United States and Israel on Thursday when the UN general assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution denouncing Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. | Guatemala was one of nine countries that voted with the United States and Israel on Thursday when the UN general assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution denouncing Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. |
| The peace process has been at death’s door since the former secretary of state John Kerry’s peace mission ended in failure in 2014. But the international community – apart from the US – is united in saying recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is disastrous for any hopes of reviving meaningful talks. The status of Jerusalem is one of the pivotal issues that diplomats and peacemakers have said must be agreed between the two parties in negotiations. | The peace process has been at death’s door since the former secretary of state John Kerry’s peace mission ended in failure in 2014. But the international community – apart from the US – is united in saying recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is disastrous for any hopes of reviving meaningful talks. The status of Jerusalem is one of the pivotal issues that diplomats and peacemakers have said must be agreed between the two parties in negotiations. |
| Palestinians will see Trump’s announcement as the end of their hopes and demands for East Jerusalem as a capital of a future independent state. While few want a return to violence, many will feel diplomatic efforts have got them no closer to a state of their own. | Palestinians will see Trump’s announcement as the end of their hopes and demands for East Jerusalem as a capital of a future independent state. While few want a return to violence, many will feel diplomatic efforts have got them no closer to a state of their own. |
| The Israeli government will be thrilled. Ever since it captured (and later annexed) East Jerusalem in the 1967 six-day war, Israel has claimed the city as its “eternal and undivided” capital, and has longed for international recognition. Some 200,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements will also celebrate. | The Israeli government will be thrilled. Ever since it captured (and later annexed) East Jerusalem in the 1967 six-day war, Israel has claimed the city as its “eternal and undivided” capital, and has longed for international recognition. Some 200,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements will also celebrate. |
| Trump didn’t set any timetable for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and neither did Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales. | Trump didn’t set any timetable for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and neither did Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales. |
| In a post on his official Facebook account on Christmas Eve, Morales said following talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he decided to instruct the foreign ministry to move the embassy. | In a post on his official Facebook account on Christmas Eve, Morales said following talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he decided to instruct the foreign ministry to move the embassy. |
| No other country has their embassy for Israel in Jerusalem, though the Czech Republic has said it is considering such a move. | No other country has their embassy for Israel in Jerusalem, though the Czech Republic has said it is considering such a move. |
| Trump upended decades of US policy with his announcement on December that he was recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which Palestinians saw as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. | Trump upended decades of US policy with his announcement on December that he was recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which Palestinians saw as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. |
| Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city’s eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive religious sites. Many governments have long said that the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations. | Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city’s eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive religious sites. Many governments have long said that the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations. |
| Trump’s announcement has set off weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces that have left 12 Palestinians dead. | Trump’s announcement has set off weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces that have left 12 Palestinians dead. |
| Netanyahu has predicted others would follow the US lead. He has made great efforts to reach out to Latin America in recent years as part of a campaign to counter longstanding support for the Palestinians at the United Nations. | |
| Of all the issues at the heart of the enduring conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, none is as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem. The holy city has been at the centre of peace-making efforts for decades. | Of all the issues at the heart of the enduring conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, none is as sensitive as the status of Jerusalem. The holy city has been at the centre of peace-making efforts for decades. |
| Seventy years ago, when the UN voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, Jerusalem was defined as a separate entity under international supervision. In the war of 1948 it was divided, like Berlin in the cold war, into western and eastern sectors under Israeli and Jordanian control respectively. Nineteen years later, in June 1967, Israel captured the eastern side, expanded the city’s boundaries and annexed it – an act that was never recognised internationally. | Seventy years ago, when the UN voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, Jerusalem was defined as a separate entity under international supervision. In the war of 1948 it was divided, like Berlin in the cold war, into western and eastern sectors under Israeli and Jordanian control respectively. Nineteen years later, in June 1967, Israel captured the eastern side, expanded the city’s boundaries and annexed it – an act that was never recognised internationally. |
| Israel routinely describes the city, with its Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy places, as its “united and eternal” capital. For their part, the Palestinians say East Jerusalem must be the capital of a future independent Palestinian state. The unequivocal international view, accepted by all previous US administrations, is that the city’s status must be addressed in peace negotiations. | Israel routinely describes the city, with its Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy places, as its “united and eternal” capital. For their part, the Palestinians say East Jerusalem must be the capital of a future independent Palestinian state. The unequivocal international view, accepted by all previous US administrations, is that the city’s status must be addressed in peace negotiations. |
| Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital puts the US out of step with the rest of the world, and legitimises Israeli settlement-building in the east – considered illegal under international law. | Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital puts the US out of step with the rest of the world, and legitimises Israeli settlement-building in the east – considered illegal under international law. |
| The resolution passed by the general assembly declared the US action on Jerusalem null and void. The 128-9 vote was a victory for Palestinians, but fell short of the total they had predicted. Thirty-five countries abstained and 21 stayed away from the vote. | The resolution passed by the general assembly declared the US action on Jerusalem null and void. The 128-9 vote was a victory for Palestinians, but fell short of the total they had predicted. Thirty-five countries abstained and 21 stayed away from the vote. |
| Morales, a former television comedian with an important base of conservative Christian support, became embroiled in a bitter spat with the United Nations earlier this year, when a UN-backed anti-corruption body in Guatemala tried to impeach him. | Morales, a former television comedian with an important base of conservative Christian support, became embroiled in a bitter spat with the United Nations earlier this year, when a UN-backed anti-corruption body in Guatemala tried to impeach him. |
| Although Morales avoided impeachment, he failed in an attempt to expel the head of the body, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, after criticism from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. | Although Morales avoided impeachment, he failed in an attempt to expel the head of the body, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, after criticism from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. |