"Israel is a democracy that uses democratic tools to discuss its internal affairs," President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso told Israel Hayom in a recent interview earlier in February. Díaz Ayuso stressed that the judicial reform the Israeli government is leading is an internal matter. "To me, it seems natural and normal that there are debates on these matters. What I saw was people freely discussing ways to improve their democracy," she said.
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Díaz Ayuso is a rising star in Spain's politics and is expected to launch a bid for prime minister in two years. In contrast to many public figures in her country, she is openly and unequivocally pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish. "We have always loved Israel and I have always felt close to it and to the Jewish community, in Madrid and Spain in general, and we wanted to convey this message to the State of Israel and strengthen our bond," she says.
The president of the community of Madrid visited Israel on Sunday and met with, among others, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Head of Israel's National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, entrepreneurs in technology, businesspeople, and senior officials in the medical field.
There was an air of tension during the visit after the Barcelona mayor decided to end the Twin Cities agreement with Tel Aviv and sever its ties with the Israeli government, following an initiative made by boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement activists and left-wing parties, who claimed that: "Israel is committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
"The decision does not represent Catalonia or Spain," Díaz Ayuso said in the interview.
Q: How did you respond to the Barcelona mayor's decision to annul the ties with Tel Aviv?
"We did not like this decision at all. It represents neither Catalonia nor Spain. We wanted to clarify this by visiting. I do not think this is the time to sever ties with a country with which we have so much in common. I do not understand what message she wanted to convey. We think that placing a question mark on Israel is not logical, and the consequences for doing so will only be negative."
Q: In your opinion, what led to the decision?
"The problem begins with people not knowing Spain's history. In general terms, Spain is not a country of discrimination. We have no conflicts and do not know the reality in Israel well enough. Coming to Israel, or speaking with Israelis, is vital in understanding the reality here. Otherwise, what you get is a narrative of violence, which leads to violence, and this is now the only thing you know about Israel. This is not something I will contribute to because it is simply not the truth."
Díaz Ayuso added, "For me, Israel is a way of looking at life and freedom." She went on to share her affinity with our country. "The fact that you need to think about your existence, as a nation that deals with much hate ... instead of being a place of sadness, Israel is one of the most creative countries in the world. It has technology, agriculture, the ability to overcome obstacles, and imagination. I would hope that other countries in the world have many of these qualities."
True to her words, Díaz Ayuso strengthened the Community of Madrid's ties with the Jewish community and passed a series of resolutions against the boycott of Israel. On her visit to Israel, she was accompanied by dozens of businesspeople, who agreed to cooperate with Israeli colleagues in technology and health.
In addition, Díaz Ayuso promoted the establishment of a Hispanic-Jewish Museum that will portray the relations between the Jewish people and the world's Spanish speakers. She received her inspiration from her tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and hopes that "this museum will have an exhibition about the Righteous Among the Nations.
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