Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña today (Wednesday) as part of his visit to Israel on the occasion of the transfer of the Paraguayan embassy to Jerusalem.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña is scheduled to address the Israeli parliament today, followed by a special Knesset ceremony with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. The reopening of Paraguay's embassy in Jerusalem is set to take place tomorrow at the Har Hotzvim industrial park in northwestern Jerusalem.
The speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, reflected on the deepening ties between the two nations, recalling the recent inauguration of the Israeli embassy in Paraguay.
He noted a moving ceremony where the mezuzah from the house where Sivan Elkabetz and Naor Hasidim were murdered on October 7, 2023, was affixed. Ohana also mentioned that the parents of the victims, alongside Elhanan Danino, whose son was kidnapped and murdered in the Nova party attack, would be present at the embassy opening in Jerusalem.
The embassy move, which had been planned before the outbreak of the war against Hamas, is seen as a significant diplomatic boost for Israel during a challenging period. Paraguay had briefly moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, only to return it to Tel Aviv, leading to a diplomatic crisis.
President Peña, who had pledged during his campaign to move the embassy back to Jerusalem, reaffirmed the importance of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The embassy reopening comes after Paraguayan lawmakers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Israel and awarded Israeli officials honors for their cooperation. Paraguay, a long-time supporter of Israel, continues to strengthen its diplomatic relationship with the Jewish state.
* JNS contributed to this article.
