Guatemala legal challenge to moving embassy to Jerusalem

A Guatemalan lawyer is challenging his country's controversial decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, arguing it violates international law.

Marco Vinicio Mejia lodged the complaint with the Constitutional Court on Monday, saying the December 24 announcement of the embassy move went against the principles, rules and practices of international law with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Such a change of policy should have been put to a referendum, he argued.

He also said President Jimmy Morales flouted government standards by making the announcement on his Facebook page rather than leaving it to the foreign ministry to make the announcement through official channels.

The notice makes Guatemala the first -- and so far only -- country to follow US President Donald Trump's lead in saying its embassy will be relocated from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

Israel has long insisted that all of Jerusalem is its capital. But the Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Multiple UN resolutions do not recognize the claim to Jerusalem, and the United Nations General Assembly on December 21 rejected any unilateral recognition of the city as Israel's capital before a peace settlement deciding its status.

Only the United States and eight other countries -- Guatemala among them -- voted against the non-binding UN General Assembly decision.

Morales, in his Facebook announcement, defended the decision to move the embassy by saying Israel is an "ally" and that Guatemala has "historically been pro-Israel."

Guatemala's foreign minister, Sandra Jovel, has denied that her country bowed to US pressure in making its decision.

She added that the date of the embassy move had not yet been defined.