Barcelona's skyline seen from atop the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, 2016. (Menachem Wecker/JNS)
“The irresponsible decision of the mayor of Barcelona to unilaterally sever relations with the State of Israel has put the Jewish community in the city in real danger.”
By JNS
Vandals defaced a Jewish house of worship in Barcelona on Wednesday, in the second such incident in the city in less than 10 days.
Graffiti reading “Why do you kill in Palestine” was spray-painted outside a Chabad synagogue in the city.
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain condemned the act, saying in a statement that “attacking places of worship of Jewish men and women in Barcelona is a clear demonstration of antisemitism.”
The incident came nine days after the Great Synagogue of Barcelona was defaced with graffiti reading, “Free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, blamed that desecration on Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau’s decision to sever the city’s twinning agreement with Tel Aviv.
“The irresponsible decision of the mayor of Barcelona to unilaterally sever relations with the State of Israel has put the Jewish community in the city in real danger,” said Goldschmidt. “Every additional case of vandalism and bloodshed as a result of this unfortunate choice will be on her hands.”
The Lawfare Project announced last week the filing of the lawsuit against Colau, on behalf of the Barcelona Institute for Dialogue with Israel.
“It asserts that Ms. Colau acted beyond the scope of her authority by infringing on the Spanish government’s power to conduct foreign policy and violated applicable legal procedures,” the U.S.-based legal fund, which protects Jewish and Israeli civil and human rights, said in a statement.
Colau cited “repeated violations of human rights of the Palestinian population and noncompliance with United Nations resolutions” in justifying the decision to boycott the Jewish state, which ended a 24-year friendship between Barcelona and Tel Aviv.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is currently on a diplomatic visit to Madrid.
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The two countries have also held joint training exercises between their militaries.