Barcelona resumes ‘sister city’ relationship with Tel Aviv, reversing ex-mayor’s call

Six months after Barcelona’s then-mayor severed the Spanish city’s relationship with Tel Aviv over what she said were Israel’s “apartheid” practices, her successor is renewing the ties.

Jaume Collboni, who became mayor in June, this week announces the restoration of the 25-year “sister cities” relationship between Barcelona and Tel Aviv.

Collboni’s decision elicits relief from the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Spain, which had said the suspension had “caused pain in the Jewish world and among many Barcelonians and Catalans.”

Ada Colau, Barcelona’s liberal mayor, surprised many by unilaterally breaking off the relationship in February, citing what she said was Israel’s “flagrant and systematic violation of human rights.” The surprise move — which the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain decried as “sophisticated antisemitism” — threatened the commercial, cultural and economic bond that the two cities have nurtured over the years.

In announcing the renewed ties, Collboni emphasizes that he was not endorsing Israel or its practices but instead connecting with Tel Aviv, which he notes had been host to weekly protests against the current Israeli government. He also emphasizes that the relationship would allow him to advocate for the Palestinians.