FM Sa'ar welcomes Honduran president-elect in Jerusalem, looks to restore strained diplomatic relations

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed Honduran President-elect Nasry “Tito” Asfura to Jerusalem on Sunday, along with incoming Honduran Foreign Minister María Dolores Agüero.

Sa’ar congratulated Asfura on his “historic victory” and stressed the importance of resetting the bilateral relations that deteriorated during the recent Hamas-initiated Gaza war, when Asfura’s predecessor criticized Israeli military operations against the terrorist organization Hamas. Sa'ar said that Asfura's victory “will be a major turning point” and that Israel sees Honduras as a “close friend and ally.”

Sa’ar vowed that Israel would “do all that we can to assist Honduras” and thanked Asfura for his intention to receive the credentials of Israel’s ambassador after assuming office later in January. He added that Israel is “standing together with those freedom-loving nations, like Honduras.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also welcomed Asfura, hosting him in the President's Residence in Jerusalem. Herzog reportedly thanked the Honduran leader "for his commitment to deepening relations between Israel and Honduras.”

"We welcome you, dear friend, and we wish you great success as the next President of Honduras. Honduras has a special meaning in our hearts,” Herzog said.

“Israelis have a huge affinity and affection for Honduras, and they want to advance the relationship and develop it to new heights. That is why this visit means so much to us.”

In June 2021, Honduras – under former President Juan Orlando Hernández – officially relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Honduras became the fourth country in the world to recognize Israel’s capital after the United States, Guatemala and Kosovo. Hernández attended the embassy opening, along with then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

However, bilateral relations between the two countries deteriorated under the outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who withdrew the country’s ambassador from Israel in early November 2023, just one month after Hamas launched a surprise invasion and attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 251 people from southern Israel.

At the time, Israel’s defense operations against Hamas forces in Gaza were merely in the initial phase. Instead of condemning the Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians, the Honduran foreign minister announced that "Honduras energetically condemns the genocide and serious violations of international humanitarian law that the civilian Palestinian population is suffering in the Gaza Strip."

Looking ahead, Foreign Minister Sa'ar said that Latin America is experiencing a “major political change,” which includes Asfura’s election victory in Honduras. “I look forward to a new chapter of close cooperation between our nations,” Sa’ar said.