Paraguay opened on Monday its new Israel embassy in Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of the United States and Guatemala. President Horacio Cartes inaugurated the embassy on Monday, making Paraguay the third country to transfer its diplomatic mission in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Cartes and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the inauguration of the new embassy in a Jerusalem office park. The Paraguayan leader called it a "historic event". "This act has profound significance in the sense that it expresses Paraguays sincere friendship and full solidarity with Israel," he said. Netanyahu said cooperation between the two countries would become "greater," naming areas such as agriculture, security and technology. US President Donald Trumps announcement on Jerusalem in December was welcomed by the Israeli government. But it infuriated the Palestinians, who claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their future capital. Washington followed up on the declaration by moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14.  The US Embassy move added fuel to the weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old naval blockade. The protests culminated last Monday, when Israel killed nearly 60 Palestinians in clashes along the border.