By Sama Marwan,
Barcelona, Spain – In a firm stance supporting the Palestinian people, authorities in the Spanish city of Barcelona have voted to sever all institutional ties with the Israeli government due to the ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El Público.
Barcelona’s Mayor, Jaume Collboni, asserted that the levels of “destruction and savagery” resulting from the Israeli offensive, the “degree of suffering” among the population, and the “mass and indiscriminate killings” render “any relationship” between the Spanish city and Israel unsustainable.
Continuing the strong support from Barcelona residents for the Palestinian cause, the Barcelona City Council announced on Friday its decision to cut all institutional ties with the Israeli entity in protest against the campaign of extermination and ethnic cleansing being carried out in the Gaza Strip.
This decision, articulated in an institutional statement, is a direct response to the continuous brutal attacks against the people of Gaza, which both the international community and Barcelona authorities themselves have described as genocide.
Mayor Collboni reiterated that the extent of “destruction and savagery” caused by the Israeli attack, the “degree of suffering” of the population, and the “mass and indiscriminate killings” make “any relationship” between the Spanish city and Israel “unsustainable.”
Collboni urged that “Gaza belongs to the Palestinians; it is the land of the Palestinians,” clearly stating the city’s position.
The statement explicitly condemns the Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians and their forced displacement. The initiative was promoted by socialist and communist groups, rejected by the People’s Party (PP) and Vox, and JuntsxBarcelona abstained from voting.
The initiative includes concrete measures, such as terminating the friendship and cooperation agreement that previously governed relations with the city of Tel Aviv. Furthermore, institutional relations with the current Israeli government have been suspended “until respect for international law and international humanitarian law is restored, and the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people are guaranteed.”
Barcelona City Council goes further by prohibiting any municipal relations with private companies operating illegally in Israeli settlements, as detailed in a report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The international community considers settler communities built on occupied Palestinian land to be illegal.
The UN has warned of the potential death of 14,000 infants in Gaza in the coming hours if the Israeli government does not urgently allow humanitarian aid into the Strip.
The city will also prevent ships involved in arms smuggling to Israel from docking in Barcelona’s port. Barcelona is additionally demanding an arms embargo on Israel, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, urgent entry of humanitarian aid, and the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian coastal strip.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) welcomed Barcelona City Council’s decision, deeming it a courageous step towards justice and the rights of the Palestinian people.
