5 days ago
Barcelona Severs Twin-City Ties with Tel Aviv over Gaza War
Barcelona's city council voted to cut twin-city ties with Israel and suspend its friendship agreement with Tel Aviv over Israel's genocide in Gaza, according to Al-Jazeera.
'The suffering and death in Gaza over the past year and a half, and recent attacks by the Israeli government, make any relationship unviable,' said Mayor Jaume Collboni during Friday's council session.
The move seeks to cut all official relations with the Israeli government until they respect the international law and maintain fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.
The city will also suspend a 1998 friendship agreement with Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Therefore, it urged the trade fair organizer Fira de Barcelona not to host any Israeli pavilions or companies which are part of the weapons trade or even profiting from the ongoing war in Gaza.
In 2024, Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Catalonia
The Government of Catalonia announced on Thursday, May 22, the immediate closure of its trade office in Tel Aviv.
This remarkable move comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's heavy airstrikes and its blockade of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The Catalan government has also criticized Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. It described it as 'double standards' in addressing the genocide in Gaza, where 'basic rights are being violated.'
'We are fully committed to human rights, and this double standard regarding Israel's participation in Eurovision weakens us,' Catalan Government Spokesperson Sílvia Paneque stated during a press conference. Spanish Government
During his speech in the parliament, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Israel a 'genocidal state,' stating that Madrid 'does not do business' with such a country.
The PM's remarks came as a response to a provocative comment from an anti-Israel member of parliament who condemned Spain's trade relations with what he called the 'genocide state' of Israel.
Sanchez's comments sparked anger in Israel, prompting Israel's Foreign Ministry to summon the Spanish Ambassador, Ana Salomon, for a formal reprimand in Jerusalem.
Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 53,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
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