Honduran President-elect Nasry “Tito” Asfura met Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem during a pre-inauguration visit, where Sa’ar congratulated him and invited deeper cooperation between the countries, the Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday.
The meeting, held before Asfura assumes office on January 27, was also attended by incoming Honduran foreign minister María Dolores Agüero. Sa’ar said Israel would “do all that we can to assist Honduras,” while praising the president-elect’s “historic victory” and decision to visit Israel before taking office.
Sa’ar told Asfura that the result in Honduras “will be a major turning point” and that Israel views the Central American nation as a “close friend and ally.”
He thanked Asfura for agreeing to receive Israel’s ambassador’s credentials immediately after the inauguration and emphasized that Israel is “standing together with those freedom-loving nations, like Honduras.”
Asfura’s visit follows Sa’ar’s call on the day of the election victory in December, when he congratulated the president-elect and invited him to Israel. The Foreign Ministry said the sides discussed expanding cooperation and rebuilding momentum in bilateral ties after recent regional shifts.
After meeting with Sa’ar, President Isaac Herzog hosted Asfura in his residence to congratulate him on his victory and “thanked him for his commitment to deepening relations between Israel and Honduras.”
Herzog and Asfura also met with US Senator Lindsey Graham in an unofficial meeting.
"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.”
Honduras moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2021
Honduras moved its embassy to Jerusalem in June 2021 under then-president Juan Orlando Hernández, joining a small group of countries with missions in the city. Then-prime minister Naftali Bennett and Hernández inaugurated the embassy in Jerusalem that month.
Under Hernández’s successor, Honduras weighed reversing the move and later recalled its ambassador amid the Gaza war, straining relations. Israel criticized the recall at the time, while stressing the historic friendship between the nations.
Sa’ar said Latin America is undergoing “major political change” and framed Asfura’s visit as an opportunity to reset ties. “I look forward to a new chapter of close cooperation between our nations,” he said.