“Today, I have announced the first step, which is to open a trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, and this will be an extension of our embassy in Tel Aviv,” said Honduran President Juan Carlos Hernández in a statement issued by his government.

(March 29, 2019 / JNS) Christian and Jewish leaders met with Honduran President Juan Carlos Hernández in Washington, D.C., this week to applaud his decision to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

The 20 Christian and Jewish leaders were part of an event hosted by the Latino Coalition for Israel.

“As part of Latino Coalition for Israel’s Jerusalem Task Force Mission, we have been dialoging with President Hernández and Honduran church leaders over the past year to encourage the move of their embassy to Jerusalem,” said Mario Bramnick, president of Latino Coalition for Israel.

Bramnick continued: “We were very honored to host President Hernández at this meeting, to show our great appreciation for his strong support for Israel and for the further practical steps President Hernandez will soon take in the course of officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We look forward to seeing this process successfully culminate in Honduras’ inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem.

At the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday, Hernández recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced that his country will eventually open its embassy there.

“Today, I have announced the first step, which is to open a trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, and this will be an extension of our embassy in Tel Aviv,” he said in a statement issued by his government.

Adam Milstein, a prominent leader of the Israeli-American Community, who attended the meeting, said Hernández’s move was a “courageous decision.”

“We commend his leadership as President Hernández bravely stands up to those who continually try to deny the historic connection of the Jewish people to their homeland, the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem,” said Milstein. “Today, Hondurans and Americans alike stand on the right side of history, united against common detractors who seek to destroy our way of life.”