PARAGUAY - Embassy in Jerusalem Reopened
The small South American nation of Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the latest of just a small handful of countries to recognize the bitterly contested city as Israel’s capital.
The decision of President Santiago Peña, a protégé of Cartes who has followed in his mentor’s footsteps, to reopen the Jerusalem embassy makes Paraguay the first country to make the move since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack last year triggered the war.
The fate of Jerusalem is one of the most intractable disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Paraguay now joins the United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea as countries that have stationed their embassy in Jerusalem.
Israel’s top diplomat, Gideon Saar, said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He said he would soon visit Asunción, Paraguay’s capital, with a delegation from the Israeli private sector.
Despite a tiny Jewish community, far smaller than neighbors Argentina and Brazil, landlocked Paraguay has become one of Israel’s closest allies in Latin America. The other countries in the region to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Guatemala and Honduras, have similarly strong evangelical churches.
-abcnews.go.com, 12 December 2024
Arno's Commentary
Bible readers are familiar with the Scripture’s declaration that Jerusalem is the stumbling stone for the world, as documented in Zechariah 12:3: “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Note the repetitious use of the word “all”—that means the whole world.
Why Jerusalem? Jesus gives us the reason: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37).
Horrible things have happened to Jerusalem. GotQuestions.org testifies: “Jerusalem, the ‘city of peace,’ has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3,000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!”
While we applaud nations moving their embassies to Jerusalem, we must caution that this means West Jerusalem, and does not include the recognition of the 1980 Jerusalem Law, which unified the city as the capital of Israel.
But what is decisive for the future of Jerusalem is the fulfillment of Zechariah 8:3: “Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
