Barcelona mayor suspends ties with Israel, including twinning agreement over Palestinian rights

The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has suspended institutional relations with Israel, including the twinning agreement between the city and Tel Aviv, local media reported.

Ada Colau, the left-wing mayor, said in a press conference on Wednesday the decision was a response to its crime of apartheid and its repeated violation of human rights against the Palestinians.

“More than 100 organizations and more than 4,000 citizens have called for the defense of the human rights of Palestinians, and for this reason, in my capacity as mayor, I informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter that I suspend the institutional relationship between Barcelona and Tel Aviv,” the mayor said.

Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau suspends institutional ties with Israel, including the city’s twinning agreement with Tel Aviv, due to the repeated violation of the rights of the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/KpY4UiCYP4

— Luis A. Garcia (@Luis3RG) February 8, 2023

Ada Colau further added, “I have decided to temporarily suspend relations with the State of Israel and with the official institutions of this state, especially the twinning agreements with the Tel Aviv municipality, until the Israeli authorities end the systematic violation of Palestinian human rights.”

Barcelona’s mayor Ada Colau announced on Wednesday that her city would suspend all ties with the Israeli government, as well as end its twin city agreement with Tel Aviv.

Colau cited Israel’s “apartheid against the Palestinian people” as the reason for her decision. pic.twitter.com/AigBl48mJ7

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) February 9, 2023

As per the media reports, activists from left-wing parties and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement succeeded in collecting the signatures of 5,000 citizens of Barcelona on a petition calling for the abolition of relations between Barcelona and Tel Aviv.

Twinning agreement

A twinning agreement was signed between the municipalities of Barcelona and Tel Aviv in 1998.

The Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, pointed to the importance of this agreement in “strengthening joint cooperation between the two cities in various fields that concern civil residential communities, primarily tourism and the economy.”

Barcelona is considered an important tourist destination for Israelis, in light of Barcelona annually hosting the World Conference on Communications and Smart Cities, which provides a platform for Israeli companies in this field to showcase their innovations.

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