17 May 2018

Foul-Weather Friends

3 Sivan 5778
47 Days of the Omer


We are hearing a lot of jubilation today over the US and Guatemala moving their embassies to Jerusalem with more countries hopping on the band wagon every day, it seems - now that it is becoming popular. But I have a question. What thanks or recognition did Costa Rica or El Salvador ever get from us when for 24 years they sat alone in the 'embassy wilderness' of Jerusalem. I can't help wondering how many people even knew that their respective embassies were located in Jerusalem until 2006.

Just sayin'...

1 comment:

  1. Did Costa Rica regret its mitzvah? According to JPost, dated December 2006, "The move is expected to give a boost to Costa Rica's aspirations to be named in 2007 to a seat on the UN Security Council, a post it previously has held three times."

    Also in 2006, El Salvador was "the last country to move its embassy from Jerusalem in a bid to please Arab nations. ...at least for a few days, El Salvador remained the only country in the world with an embassy in Jerusalem.

    I understand that if one does a mitzvah and comes to regret it, credit gets taken back by Shamayim. I agree with you that, at the time when both countries had their embassies in Y-m, they should have been thanked openly, if not secretly; however, it seems both removed them to enhance their standing with the Arabs or the UN (or both?), so that now, if I'm correct, they don't deserve our appreciation.

    I didn't know they were there either, but just because of that I didn't want to assume the rest of the world didn't know! However, at this point neither country seems to want the attention, given their statements when pulling out.

    I hope this helps.

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