Despite the controversy behind Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, other world leaders are following in Trump’s footsteps. Guatemala’s president Jimmy Morales has announced that Guatemala will also move their embassy to Jerusalem. Guatemala is the first country to show support of Trump’s controversial decision but the rest of the international community is not impressed. The riots in Palestine have caused 16 deaths and the international community is shocked by Trump’s decision as it goes against decades of US policy. From a historical standpoint, many countries moved their embassies to Tel Aviv in the 1980s after a UN resolution was formed after Israel passed a law stating that Jerusalem was the capitol. At first, Guatemala refused but ultimately moved their embassy to Tel Aviv after multiple Islamic countries threatened to stop purchasing exports of cardamon from Guatemala. This decision is causing political and social unrest all over the world. Personally, I think it is surprising that even small Latin American countries are involved in this crisis. Typically when talking about issues in the Middle East, the US and Russia tend to be the biggest players. It is interesting to see another viewpoint from a smaller and sometimes understated country. The common ground shared between Jimmy Morales and President Trump could possibly lead to better relations between the United States and The Latin American countries. Could these political similarities stretch to other countries in creating a more economical and social ground? It is hard to say but this decision has caused unrest for Muslim groups and could worsen the political turmoil already present in the Middle East.
