The mayor of Madrid offered Thursday for his city to "twin" with Tel Aviv after an announcement by Barcelona earlier in the day that it was severing such ties with the Israeli city.
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"It would be an honor to be twinned with Tel Aviv," José Luis Martínez-Almeida said. Speaking to Tel Aviv's Mayor Ron Huldai, he offered "Madrid's commitment to democracy and freedom."
The European Jewish Congress hailed the announcement, saying "Bravo. We need to build bridges between peoples, not destroy them."
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau drew harsh criticism for the decision to sever the sister city agreement with Tel Aviv, a move she explained stemmed "at the request of more than 100 entities and thousands of Barcelona neighbors."
The decision drew accusations of antisemitism, with Lior Haiat – spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry – calling it "unfortunate" and "in complete contrast to the position of the majority of the residents of Barcelona and their representatives in the city council."
JNS.org contributed to this report.
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