Barcelona – Saba:
The Catalan government announced today, Wednesday, the immediate closure of its trade office in Jaffa (Tel Aviv), following an agreement with several municipalities.
This decision comes amid growing sensitivity within the Catalan government toward the ongoing atrocities in the Gaza Strip, where it has recently taken firm stances on current events, according to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.
Additionally, the controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest sparked anger within Catalan government circles, aligning with the position expressed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who called last Monday for Israel's exclusion from the festival.
Similar to Sánchez, the Catalan government criticized what it described as "double standards" in addressing the genocide in Gaza, where "basic rights are being violated." This was a pointed reference to the hypocrisy of certain right-wing factions, especially when compared to the war in Ukraine.
Catalan government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque stated during a press conference yesterday following an Executive Council meeting:
"We are fully committed to human rights, and this double standard regarding Israel's participation in Eurovision weakens us."
The move reflects Catalonia's solidarity with Palestine and its rejection of normalization with the Israeli occupation amid its ongoing war crimes in Gaza.