The leaders of Romania and Honduras have announced they will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, following the lead of President Donald Trump.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez delivered their announcements Sunday at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington. The announcements were welcomed by Israeli politicians.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the U.S. Embassy to the city, a move that was applauded by Israel. Guatemala followed suit.

The move angered the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of a future state.

Most countries have embassies in Tel Aviv out of sensitivity over the contested city. The Palestinians, and most of the international community, say the city's final status should be resolved in negotiations. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — The leaders of Romania and Honduras on Sunday announced that they will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, following the lead of President Donald Trump.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez delivered their announcements at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington. The announcements were welcomed by Israeli politicians.

However, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, a government rival who's in charge of the East European nation's foreign policy, said the prime minister hadn't consulted with him over the decision. He accused her of "total ignorance" of foreign policy.

The move is considered controversial as it goes against the rest of the European Union. Romania currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the U.S. Embassy to the city, a move that was applauded by Israel. Guatemala followed suit.

The move angered the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of a future state.

Most countries have embassies in Tel Aviv out of sensitivity over the contested city. The Palestinians, and most of the international community, say the city's final status should be resolved in negotiations. </s> Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Sunday that her country would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv.

The diplomatic status of Jerusalem has been hotly disputed since US President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel's capital in late 2017.

What you need to know:
• Dancila said Romania would move its "embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel."
• Romania would "remain the same loyal friend and the strongest European voice in support of the Jewish people and the State of Israel," she added.
• The prime minister made the announcement at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel lobby group.

Read more: Jerusalem: Three things to know

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I congratulate my friend, the Prime Minister of Romania, Viorica Dancila, on her announcement at AIPAC that she would act to complete the procedures needed to open the Romanian embassy in Jerusalem."

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization official, said Dancila's announcement was a "blatant violation of Palestinian rights, international law, and UN resolutions."

Read more: The 1967 Six-Day War and its difficult legacy

'Total ignorance': The potential move goes against the stance held by the rest of the European Union. Romania currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the bloc. And Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is the person in charge of foreign policy in Bucharest. He said that he had not been consulted on the statement, which showed "total ignorance" of foreign policy.

Historical tensions: East Jerusalem was captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, Israel effectively annexed the area and declared the entire city as its capital. This move was never recognized by most of the international community.

Challenging path to peace: Palestinians say countries shifting their embassies complicate any effort to forge a lasting peace. The United Nations has recommended that countries should not move their embassies to Jerusalem in the absence of a resolution between the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Read more: US to recognize Golan Heights as Israeli territory Monday: Israeli FM

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Three more countries will be joining the rush to establish embassies in the eternal capital of Israel, Jerusalem.

Juan Orlando Hernández, the president of Honduras, announced on Sunday at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington D.C. that his country will be opening an embassy in Jerusalem “immediately.”

“Honduras will immediately open our official diplomatic mission and this will extend our embassy to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem,” Juan Orlando Hernández told the crowd.

Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, is a Portuguese-speaking nation on a volcanic archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa. Jews first moved there in the wake of the Inquisition at the end of the 15th Century and another wave arrived in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from Morocco and Gibraltar. There are currently no practicing Jews in Cape Verde.

Not to be outdone, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă made a similar announcement at AIPAC on the same day. Romania is perceived as a strong ally of Israel in the European Union. In April, the Romanian government approved a resolution to move the embassy, which had Dăncilă’s support, but President Klaus Iohannis, who has final say in the matter, blocked the initiative. In January she visited Israel and discussed the embassy move with Prime Minister Netanyahu. When she returned to her country opposition head and chairman of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban filed a complaint against Dăncilă at a special tribunal, charging the premier with treason. </s> Honduras will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, President Juan Orlando Hernández announced on Sunday. Speaking at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington DC, Hernández referred to Jerusalem as the true “capital of Israel,” and said the move will be effective “immediately.” The United States and Guatemala already made the controversial move last year. Israel and the Palestinian Authority both consider Jerusalem their capital, and the city contains sites sacred to Jews and Muslims. </s> The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below. </s> TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras on Sunday described Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and said it would open an office there for trade to complement its embassy in Tel Aviv, but it was not immediately clear if the news marked a formal change in its policy toward the holy city.

In a statement, the Honduran foreign ministry said that the Central American country would open a “trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, which would be like an extension of the Honduran embassy in the city of Tel Aviv.”

Officials could not immediately be reached to clarify whether Honduras had formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, following in the footsteps of U.S. President Donald Trump, who last May moved the U.S. embassy to the disputed city.

Trump’s move was criticized by many foreign governments and caused anger among Palestinians, who with broad international backing seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they want to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

East Jerusalem is still considered occupied under international law, and the city’s status is supposed to be decided as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

Plans for the “immediate” opening of the Honduran trade office were also announced on Twitter by President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has in recent months signaled that his government is mulling moving the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem.

Hernandez, an ally of the United States, is in Washington to participate in a conference on U.S.-Israeli relations.

The Honduran foreign ministry said in a statement that Israel would in a reciprocal gesture open an office for cooperation in Tegucigalpa, giving it diplomatic status.

Honduras’ Central American neighbor Guatemala in May moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after the United States, fueling expectations that Hernandez might follow suit. </s> TEGUCIGALPA, March 24 (Reuters) - Honduras on Sunday described Jerusalem as Israel's capital and said it would open an office there for trade to complement its embassy in Tel Aviv, but it was not immediately clear if the news marked a formal change in its policy toward the holy city.

In a statement, the Honduran foreign ministry said that the Central American country would open a "trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, which would be like an extension of the Honduran embassy in the city of Tel Aviv."

Officials could not immediately be reached to clarify whether Honduras had formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, following in the footsteps of U.S. President Donald Trump, who last May moved the U.S. embassy to the city.

Plans for the "immediate" opening of the trade office were also announced on Twitter by President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has in recent months signaled that his government is mulling moving the Honduran embassy to Jerusalem.

Hernandez, an ally of the United States, is in Washington to participate in a conference on U.S.-Israeli relations.

The Honduran foreign ministry said in a statement that Israel would in a reciprocal gesture open an office for cooperation in Tegucigalpa, giving it diplomatic status.

Honduras' Central American neighbor Guatemala in May moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after the United States, fueling expectations that Hernandez might follow suit. (Reporting by Orfa Mejia; Editing by Sandra Maler) </s> A square near the new American embassy in Jerusalem's Arnona neighborhood is to be named in honor of President Donald Trump, a Hebrew-language Facebook post by the city's mayor, Nir Barkat, announced on Tuesday.

Under the title "Jerusalem returns the love to Trump," Barkat announced: "We have decided that the square adjacent to the embassy in the capital will be called "United States Square – in honor of President Donald Trump."

The official transfer of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the dedication of the embassy, which had up to now served as an American consular office, will occur on May 14.

>> One week to opening of U.S. embassy in Jerusalem: Everything you need to know <<

Trump announced the controversial plan to transfer the embassy in December, saying: "It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," and calling it "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It's something that has to be done." Trump added at the time: "We are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders."

The Palestinians are seeking to establish the capital of an independent Palestinian state in the eastern part of the city.

>> Jerusalem for dummies part 1: Why the world doesn't recognize it as Israel's capital ■ Jerusalem for dummies, part 2: What the Palestinians want
In Washington, D.C., the leaders of Romania and Honduras announce they will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, following the lead of the United States.