Honduras recognized Palestine in 2011, a move in sharp contrast to a long-lasting legacy of close links between successive Honduran governments and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. On May 10, 2013 Honduras and Palestine established diplomatic links, at a ceremony in

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...

attended by the foreign ministers of both countries, Mireya Agüero and

Riyad al-Maliki Riyad al-Maliki ( ar, رياض المالكي; born 31 May 1955) is former Minister of Information, government spokesperson, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in its 12th government, and resumed office as Foreign ...

.''La Tribuna''.
Honduras y Palestina establecen relaciones diplomáticas
''Wafa News Agency.
Honduras, El Salvador Establish Diplomatic Ties with Palestine
' Al-Maliki also met with Honduras president

Porfirio Lobo Porfirio Lobo Sosa (born 22 December 1947), known as Pepe Lobo, is a Honduran politician and agricultural landowner who served as President of Honduras from 2010 to 2014. A member of the conservative National Party and a former deputy in th ...

at the presidential palace. The ambassador of Palestine, Mohamed Saadat, presented his credentials on September 13, 2013. Honduras has the largest Palestinian community in Latin America, after

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The first recorded case of a Palestinian emigrant to Honduras dates back to 1899. The largest wave of Palestinian migration to Honduras took place between 1922 and 1931. Many of the migrants hailed from

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, Beit Jala or

Beit Sahour Beit Sahour or Beit Sahur ( ar, بيت ساحور pronounced ; Palestine grid 170/123) is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate of the State of Palestine. The city is under the administration of the Palestinian Nation ...

. The majority of Palestinian migrants to Honduras were

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

. There were also Maronite and

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

migrants. A minority (roughly 15-20% at one point) were Muslims.Marín Guzmán, Roberto.
A Century of Palestinian Immigration into Central America: A Study of Their Economic and Cultural Contributions
'. San José, C.R.: Ed. de la Univ. de Costa Rica, 2000. p. 28 However, later most of the descendants of Orthodox migrants later adopted Catholicism.Marín Guzmán, Roberto.
A Century of Palestinian Immigration into Central America: A Study of Their Economic and Cultural Contributions
'. San José, C.R.: Ed. de la Univ. de Costa Rica, 2000. pp. 40-41 Many Palestinian descendants have come to occupy important positions in Honduran society. A Palestinian descendant,

Carlos Roberto Flores Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé (born 10 March 1950) is a Honduran politician and businessman who served as the President of Honduras from 1998 to 2002. A member of the Liberal Party, Flores was previously the President of the National Congre ...

, was elected

President of Honduras The president of Honduras ( es, Presidente de Honduras) officially known as the President of the Republic of Honduras (Spanish: ''Presidente de la República de Honduras''), is the head of state and head of government of Honduras, and the Com ...

in 1998. In 1947, Honduras abstained from voting on the

Partition of Palestine The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was a proposal by the United Nations, which recommended a partition of Mandatory Palestine at the end of the British Mandate. On 29 November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted the Plan as Re ...

in the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

.Klich, Ignacio, and Jeff Lesser.
Arab and Jewish Immigrants in Latin America: Images and Realities
'. London: F. Cass, 1998. p. 111

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honduras-Palestine relations Palestine Bilateral relations of the State of Palestine

See also

References