Israel replies in Catalan to Colau's decision to break relations: "It reinforces extremists, terrorists and anti-Semites"

• Catalonia Ada Colau suspends Barcelona's relations with Israel and the twinning with Tel Aviv

• Opinion Colau's Judeophobia and his 'commons'

In a country undergoing a serious internal crisis, as a result of the judicial reform proposal launched by the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and the fear of a new escalation with the Palestinians, the decision of the mayoress of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, to suspend temporarily, relations with Israel, including twinning with Tel Aviv, do not make headlines, but they do cause disappointment, discomfort and surprise.

First, because Barcelona is one of the most visited and admired cities by Israelis, and second, because Tel Aviv is considered the most liberal and tolerant city in the region.

"Barcelona and Tel Aviv are two cities with the same values ​​and a great exchange of knowledge in numerous fields for the benefit of all. We hope to continue receiving delegations and tourists from Barcelona and promote progress and tolerance", says the director of International Relations. from Tel Aviv,

.

While Israel and Jewish associations from around the world (

, the Anti-

,

, the

, etc.) condemn Colau's decree, the

(ANP) and groups in favor of the boycott of Israel applaud him asking other cities to follow his example as a form of pressure.

"It is a regrettable decision, a reinforcement for extremists, terrorist groups and anti-Semites, and it is against the interests of the citizens of Barcelona," denounced the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

, who has reacted in a tweet in Spanish, Catalan , English and Hebrew.

Before assuring that "the friendship between Israel and Barcelona has been going on for many years and is based on a shared culture and values", Haiat is convinced that "this painful decision will not be able to damage this friendship".

In a decision based on

and the support of pro-Palestinian groups and without being voted on in the plenary session of the City Council, Colau declared this Wednesday that relations with Israel and the twinning agreement with Tel Aviv (signed in 1998 together with Gaza) are suspended. until the Israeli authorities "put an end to the systematic human rights violence against the Palestinian population and fully comply with their obligations under international law and the various

."

The president of the Israeli Community of Barcelona (CIB),

, received the news during a brief vacation stay in Israel.

"Colau is in the electoral campaign and moves his bases but it is about sophisticated anti-Semitism," he told

, revealing that Colau's announcement took place ten minutes before he handed over to the CIB the municipal plaque as the city's centenary entity together to others.

The two representatives of the Jewish community got up and left the event in protest.

Forado recalls that the initial plan was to hold the plenary vote on January 27, coinciding with

.

"You cannot pretend to respect our dead who died because they were Jews and attack our living just because they were Jews," adds Forado.

"As a Barcelona citizen, I expect those responsible for the city to plan their development and progress for my family, neighbors and fellow citizens. It seems good to me that my City Council criticizes actions that are not correct in other countries, but that is what the Generalitat is for, the Spanish government, the European Union, the UN, etc", he comments and admits: "It strikes me that in these eight years he has always criticized Israel when it has also had political changes. This is not about Israel or Tel Aviv but about anti-Semitism" .

"Despite this, Barcelona continues to be a world reference model, which means that Barcelona's civil society is not stupid but rather powerful and healthy. My fear is that the new generations will believe that this is progress", he concludes. .

Colau's announcement was present at the conference at the

in Tel Aviv organized this Thursday by

(

), which was created in the words of its president and co-founding partner

to "strengthen the ties between society of Barcelona and Tel Aviv and between the two countries".

"It is a shame"

"It is a shame and it is not representative of Barcelona society or of the majority of councilors. In fact, Colau took this dictatorial and anti-Semitic measure against the twinning of Tel Aviv when he knew that he was not going to have enough support," laments Navarro who hopes that the vote scheduled for the end of the month will reverse the measure, as the PSC has already announced, for example.

In any case, he does not believe that it has effective consequences.

"Being here in Tel Aviv, a tolerant, liberal, democratic city that respects human rights, one understands that the measure is even more scandalous," he comments at the Cervantes headquarters where Israelis and Spaniards have discussed culture, technology , economy and a topical aspect: the twinning between Tel Aviv and Barcelona.

The

in Spain considers the decision as a reflection of "a lack of understanding and appreciation for Jewish culture and history and contributes to a climate of hostility and lack of support for the existence and security of the State of Israel."

"It is a highly worrying measure for young Jews in Spain," says its president,

, after a decision that for now is basically symbolic.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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