EJP

After Barcelona’s boycott of Israel, Madrid’s Mayor offers to twin with Tel Aviv

Madrid's Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida (pictured) sent a letter to his Tel Aviv counterpart Ron Huldai offering to twin the two cities following Barcelona’s decision to "suspended relations" with the State Israel.

Barcelona City Council’s decision to sever relations with Israel has sparked a row between the Mayor and her government partners.

The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, sent a letter to his Tel Aviv counterpart Ron Huldai offering to twin the two cities following Barcelona’s decision to “suspended relations” with the State Israel.

The mayor of the Spanish  capital called his Barcelona counterpart ‘’antisemitic’’ and offered Tel Aviv’s Mayor “Madrid’s commitment to democracy and freedom,” daily newspaper ABC reported. “It would be an honor to be twinned with Tel Aviv,” the mayor said.

On Wednesday, Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau announced she was leading her city down a BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) path, opting to “suspend institutional relations with the State of Israel due to the repeated violations of human rights of the Palestinian population and noncompliance with United Nations resolutions.”

According to press reports, Barcelona City Council’s decision to sever relations with Israel has sparked a row between Colau and her government partners. The Socialists (PSC), Colau’s partners in the city government, said they consider the decision a ‘’serious mistake.’’ They announced that they will bring the issue to the February council meeting with a proposal to withdraw the decision and recover the twinning between Barcelona and Tel Aviv, which existed since 1998, so that if they have enough support, the suspension could be quashed in just over a fortnight.

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