Top Israeli official says at least 10 more countries are discussing moving embassies to Jerusalem

After President Donald Trump announced the United States would move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move frowned upon by the international community, Guatemala announced it, too, would relocate its embassy to Israel’s holy city.

Now, at least 10 other countries are considering moving their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.

What’s going on?

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said Monday that her government is actively discussing with at least 10 other countries moving their embassies from Tel Aviv, where all international diplomatic missions are currently located in Israel, to Jerusalem.

She told Haaretz the negotiations initially focused on urging countries to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital before moving on to embassy relocation discussions.

Which countries?

Though she confirmed the negotiations, Hotovley did not reveal which countries Israel is in discussions with.

"I can only say that there are more than 10 countries," Hotovely said, according to Israel Hayom. "We, at the Foreign Ministry, are working intelligently with each one. Every country has a different background."

"There are plenty more countries in the works. I know this because the Foreign Ministry is currently in the middle of important and meaningful efforts with these countries, some of which are European," she explained.

However, Haaretz reported that Honduras, a country neighboring Guatemala, is believed to be the next country to announce an embassy relocation.

According to the Jerusalem Post, officials in the Czech Republic, the Philippines and Romania have also mentioned the possibility of moving their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem.