'Jerusalem Is the Place': Israel Urges Nations to Follow US Lead, Relocate Embassies to Jewish Capital

JERUSALEM, Israel – Since the U.S. relocated its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, several nations have followed suit, and more are being encouraged to do the same.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee spoke at a recent ceremony recognizing nations that have moved their embassies to Jerusalem since the U.S. paved the way under President Donald Trump seven years ago.

He told the gathering, "My fellow ambassadors from the countries that have done what we hope every country will do, and that is, recognize that Jerusalem is the undisputed, it is the undivided, capital of the Jewish state of Israel."

Currently, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay have moved their embassies. Others are reportedly in the planning stage.

Chaim Silberstein, who chairs the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy, started the group to identify challenges and seek opportunities for the capital city.

He told CBN News about other nations considering a move. "Argentina, Czech, Fiji, and other countries, too," he said. "And we are working very hard together with the government as an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) to persuade them and to encourage them. And I think the more embassies that move to Jerusalem, the better it is for Israel, the better it is for the West."

Silberstein takes global policymakers through the city, explaining why Jerusalem matters.

"The best way to understand the situation is to visualize it, to see it, to feel it," he explained. "God has given us Jerusalem. And Jerusalem is, always will be, and always has been the capital of Israel. But the fact that countries come and recognize it as part of the real politics of the world is so important for us."

Silberstein added, "And we need to strengthen that, because we know that Israel and the Jewish people have many enemies around the world."

He believes building and maintaining support has become more urgent since October 7th, 2023, and the ongoing war.

"The state of Israel has worked and is working very hard to harness all those countries that support Israel, because unfortunately, there are many that have fallen to the fake news and the false propaganda of what's going on in the war. But we do have friends, and we do have allies, and certainly at the head of that team is the United States of America," Silberstein told us.

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Former Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum points to the city's iconic history.

She asserted, "Jerusalem is the city which is not just the capital of the state of Israel. It's not just the capital of the Jewish nation, but it is the city that made us a nation. Three thousand years ago, King David decided that he needed one united capital to unite the tribes of Israel. So, Jerusalem is the place. We became the indigenous people of this land. And so, your recognition is not just historic. It is practical, and it is the reality that we have today."

In 1967, when Israel reclaimed the city after more than 2,000 years, it marked a profound and, many believe, prophetic turning point.  

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana recalled, "Back then, soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces fought their way through these ancient streets and, until, with trembling voices in tear-filled eyes, they declared (speaks in Hebrew), 'The Temple Mount is in our hands!'"

Ohana continued, "Since that miraculous moment, Jerusalem has been rebuilt, renewed, and reopened to peoples of all faiths.  Yet, though the armed struggle for Jerusalem was won 58 years ago, the diplomatic struggle still endures. Far too many nations still refuse to recognize the self-evident and fundamental fact that Jerusalem has always been, and will forever remain, the capital of the Jewish people, of the people of Israel."

Ambassador Huckabee recounted a sobering conversation he overheard during the ceremony for the U.S. Embassy relocation to Jerusalem.

He noted, "The young American said, 'I've been so excited about this, moving our embassy to Jerusalem. I haven't slept in two nights.' The elderly Jewish gentleman just looked at me and said, 'The Jews haven't slept in 2000 years, and now they can sleep knowing that when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying for the peace of the capital of the Jewish state – the undivided capital of the Jewish state."