Paraguay formally opened its new Jerusalem embassy in Israel on Thursday in a ceremony attended by President Santiago Peña and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a back-and-forth struggle over the diplomatic seat that kicked off in 2018.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar was present at the ceremony.
The South American nation's embassy had for decades been located in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv, but in 2018 former President Horacio Cartes ordered its move to Jerusalem. Months later, the facility was moved back to Tel Aviv after an abrupt reversal announced by Cartes' successor, Mario Abdo.
Cartes, a Netanyahu ally, is also a close confidant of Peña, with both men coming from Paraguay's conservative Colorado Party.
A historic day for Israel-Paraguay relations! Honored to welcome President @SantiPenap and First Lady Leticia Peña to Jerusalem, our eternal capital. Today, we proudly inaugurated Paraguay's embassy in Jerusalem—a powerful testament to truth, courage, and the enduring… pic.twitter.com/oMBP1yHZzy
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 12, 2024
Peña's political journey
Peña took office last year and shortly afterward announced the embassy's move back to Jerusalem. He traveled to Israel to officially open it on Thursday.
"This step symbolizes our commitment to shared values and the strengthening of the ties that build a future of peace, development and mutual understanding," he said at the new embassy's opening ceremony.
The president did not refer to the war in Gaza, or other recent IDF operations in Lebanon or Syria.