GOVERNMENT

Jimmy Morales

President of Guatemala

2018 has been a challenging year for Jimmy Morales, the former comic actor who was elected president of Guatemala in a landslide victory three years ago. The eruption of the Fuego volcano in June impacted almost 2 million people, displacing thousands from their homes and claiming the lives of more than 100. Among the aid teams rushing to help survivors were several from Israel, who arrived with first-aid kits, water purification tablets and other vital necessities. The closeness of Israel's relationship with Guatemala was symbolized by Morales' decision in May to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. That courageous act, Morales said at the embassy's inauguration on May 16, was delivered as a message to Israel of "peace, love and fraternity." (Photo: Reuters / Luis Echeverria.)