President of Guatemala Jimmy Morales (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) give a joint press conference after signing bilateral agreements at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on November 29, 2016. Image by ABIR SULTAN/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. (JTA) — Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said his country will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May.

Speaking at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington D.C., Morales said Guatemala will make the move on May 16, two days after the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence, when the United States will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The United States and Guatemala successively recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.

“In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instruction, two days after the United States, Guatemala will move its embassy permanently to Jerusalem,” Morales said to raucous applause. “We are sure that many other countries will follow in our footsteps.”

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President Trump’s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital departed from decades of United States policy. But every mention of it at the AIPAC conference has been met with cheers. Most countries’ embassies are located in Tel Aviv.

Morales noted that Guatemala was relatively quick to recognize Israel after it declared independence in 1948, and was the first country to establish an embassy in Jerusalem  in 1959, before subsequently moving it. He said Israel and Guatemala share common goals, from fighting terrorism to combating the spread of drugs, and protecting human rights.

Guatemala “maintains the highest level of political dialogue with Israel, and has a very strong relationship,” Morales said. “This is why we must stand together and support each other.”

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