Honduras's government recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to the humanitarian situation affecting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the country's top diplomat announced on social media on Friday, sparking a strong response from the State of Israel.
"Amid the grave humanitarian situation the Palestinian civilian population suffers in the Gaza Strip, the government of President Xiomara Castro has decided to immediately call Mr. Roberto Martinez, Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras in Israel, to consultations in Tegucigalpa," Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded to the decision by issuing a statement on Saturday saying that "The Honduran government's decision to recall its ambassador ignores Israel's right to defend itself against the Hamas terrorist organization, which is worse than ISIS. Hamas terrorists murdered over 1400 people, kidnapped 240, among them children, babies, women and the elderly, and is still holding them hostage.
"Israel will fight Hamas terrorists until Hamas is eliminated from the Gaza Strip," the ministry said. "We expect the Honduran government to condemn Hamas, to support Israel's right to defend itself, and not to take decisions that provide support to Hamas' terrorism."
Not the first
Castro's decision follows similar moves from like-minded peers in the region earlier in the week.
Chile's Gabriel Boric and Colombia's Gustavo Petro also recalled their countries' ambassadors to Israel for consultations over events surrounding the conflict in Gaza. At the same time, Bolivia moved to sever diplomatic ties with Israel.
Honduras, however, has historically been a close ally of Israel. It moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in June 2021 under President Juan Orlando Hernández, making it the fourth embassy in Jerusalem, following the United States, Guatemala, and Kosovo.
Hernández is an Evangelical Christian. He was extradited to the United States on charges of drug trafficking in 2022. Castro took office in January 2023.
Policy on Israel was already shifting
In August last year, Honduras's Foreign Ministry announced it was considering moving its embassy back to Tel Aviv.
"The issue of moving the embassy to Tel Aviv has already been discussed with President (Castro) and is a topic of interest to her, as well as maintaining a balanced relationship with the other Arab countries and Israel," Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said in a statement at the time.
However, until now, the embassy has remained in Jerusalem.