The mayor of Spain’s capital city of Madrid on Thursday excoriated the mayor of Barcelona for her announcement a day earlier that she is suspending her city’s ties with Israel due to its “crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said that she made the decision to cut ties, ending her city’s 25-year-old twinning agreement with Tel Aviv, “in response to a campaign by dozens of local groups and thousands of activists” over the “systematic violation of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population.”
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida excoriated his Barcelona counterpart, saying her decision has a “significant stench of antisemitism,” and that he would be happy to take over the twinning agreement with Tel Aviv.
“I do not share those decisions…the culprit for the left is always Israel,” he was quoted as saying, as reported by AFP.
“It would be an honor to be twinned with Tel Aviv,” he stated, adding that he wrote to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai to share “Madrid’s commitment to democracy and freedom.”
Martinez-Almeida wrote in the letter, quoted by Kan News, that his statement “sends a message to all citizens of Israel that Madrid knows very well with whom to strengthen and develop ties, and that is with a democratic, law-abiding and rights-abiding country like the State of Israel.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called Barcelona’s decision unfortunate, saying that it went against the wishes of the majority of the city’s population.
“The decision gives support to extremists, terrorist organizations and antisemitism,” it said. “The friendship between Israel and Barcelona is long-standing, and is based on shared culture and values. Even this unfortunate decision will not damage this friendship.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
I wonder if she has a White Uniform and Pointed hat in her closet
@Sara Rifka – Why do we continue to make the mistake that the only Anti-Semites are white-uniform wearing right-winged individuals?
1) It is clear from the landscape of modern American politics that the left-wing, lebeal leaning, democrats are equally to blame.
2) Halachah, Eisav sonei es Yaakov. Anyone who appears to be our friends, does so for their convenience and benefit. Otherwise the halachah applies.
liberal *
Sara Rifka and shuali and all those fooled by Zionists:
Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.
Since the Zionists are so proud of their “State” that they fantasize makes them a “normal” people, then just as gentile nations choose which other nations they choose to engage, they can also choose whether or not to engage with the Zionist “State” as well.
Strangely, how the Spanish descendants of the infamous inquisition and later fascist regime are trying to teach us a lesson…
@HaKatan – FYI, I am NOT fooled by the Zionists. I choose, and have always chosen, to follow the opinion of, literally all, the Gedolei Yisroel who, after the initial members of the Chovivei Tzion realized their mistake also joined their ranks, all realized the natural result and even the initial plans, baseless philosophy, and faulty thought process of the G-dless agenda of the Zionist movement. The only machlokes between the “old” Agudah (i.e. now known as The Aidah HaChareidis), and the “new” Agudah, is whether to become involved in the government for the benefit Yidden. But, it is well known and documented, that everyone agreed in principal with Rabbi Teitelbaum and the rest. The few holdouts chenged their mind after reading the latter’s works on the subject.