Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority announced on Friday that Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni had been denied entry into Israel, hours before his scheduled arrival.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry confirmed that the move was made “in accordance with the Entry to Israel Law and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council.”
The decision followed a series of anti-Israel statements by Collboni in recent months, as well as a resolution passed by Barcelona’s city council in May to “sever ties with Israel.”
“The suffering and death in Gaza over the past year and a half and recent attacks by the Israeli government make any relationship unviable,” Collboni told the council.
The city council also suspended its 1998 friendship agreement with Tel Aviv-Jaffa “until respect for international law is restored and the basic rights of Palestinians are respected.” And it instructed the Port of Barcelona and trade show organizer Fira de Barcelona not to host Israeli pavilions or companies involved in weapons trade or profiting from Israel’s war against Hamas.
The mayor had planned to visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and meet with officials in the Palestinian Authority during his trip. The Catalan Spanish newspaper Ara reported that he had been invited by the mayors of Bethlehem and Ramallah.
Israeli officials have tightened restrictions on foreign dignitaries who promote boycotts or hostile policies against the Jewish state, stressing that delegitimization of Israel will not be rewarded with official visits.
