Barcelona cuts ties with Israel until there is a definitive ceasefire

A The initiative came from the coalition that runs the municipality, BComú, with the support of the Catalan socialists of the PSC and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).

During the plenary session held on Friday night, these parties urged the Barcelona city council to suspend institutional relations with the current Israeli Government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, “until there is a definitive ceasefire and they are respected the basic rights of the Palestinian people”.

The proposal was opposed by the JxCat party (Together for Catalonia, founded in 2020 by the independentist Carles Puigdemont), the Popular Party and the right-wing radical Vox.

The Israeli Community of Barcelona (CIB), the city’s most iconic Jewish institution, admitted, shortly afterwards, that its members “were disconcerted by the decisions taken by the municipality after the Hamas terrorist attack”, on October 7th.

“We do not understand how the city council can support” this proposal, said the CIB in a message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter), in which it also recalls the violence of the Hamas attacks, which left 1,200 victims.

The CIB also added that it was “grateful for those who defend peace and life, courageously opposing terrorism and superfluous statements” on “such a hopeful day in the war” for the temporary ceasefire to provide aid to the Gaza Strip.

The first of four days of truce in the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas took place on Friday, serving as an exchange of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Relations between Spain and Israel had already become tense today, after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchéz admitted the possibility of Spain recognizing the Palestinian State unilaterally, outside the European Union and other member states of the community bloc.

The Spanish Prime Minister’s position led the Israeli Government to call the Spanish ambassador to tell him that it considered Sanchéz’s statements as “support for terrorism”.

The accusation was “categorically” rejected by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who said that the Government was analyzing “an appropriate response”.

Shortly afterwards, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Israeli ambassador to Spain, and the full content of the meeting is not yet known.

Albares had previously said that Israel’s accusations were “especially serious” because they were directed against the country’s leader who currently presides over the Council of the European Union and recalled that Sanchez “did not hesitate to condemn the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and make it very clear that it does not represent the Palestinian people and is merely a terrorist organization.”

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