'We love Barcelona, the relationship will flourish' – Israeli minister after suspension of ties

The Israeli economy minister, Nir Barkat, has said that "Israel loves Barcelona," just a few weeks after its mayor, Ada Colau, decided to suspend ties with the Middle Eastern country, including putting the friendship agreement with Tel-Aviv on hold.

In a visit to the Catalan capital, the politician said his country has a "very good relationship" with the city.

"I am sure the relationship will not only continue, but flourish and improve," he told the press on Tuesday.

After being asked about Colau's recent move, he denied that links between the two sides were damaged: "on the contrary," he added.

"We are here to do more business and share with the people of Barcelona and Catalonia that we love you and want to do more business with you."

Israeli investment plummets

However, in the past two years, investments in Catalonia have plummeted. 

Between 2016 and 2020, Catalonia accounted for around 80% of Israeli investments in Spain, but the figure sharply decreased in 2021 to 28%, and stood at 10% in the first three quarters of 2022. Indeed, in 2018 companies from the State of Israel invested €31.71 million, a figure over ten times higher than the €2.09 million invested between January and September 2022.

According to Barkat, this is due to the pandemic. "This is not only going to go back to what it was, but the opportunities are ahead of us," he said. "In the pandemic it went down here and up there, but it is going to recover very quickly."

 

Barkat, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, visited the Mobile World Congress, Israeli companies in Catalonia, Esade business school and some students from Barcelona's Israeli Community, but did not meet Colau.

Suspension of ties

His visit is the first one by an Israeli government member since the mayor of Barcelona suspended institutional relationships with Tel Aviv.

Some Israeli and Jewish community members accused Colau of practicing "sophisticated anti-Semitism" while more than 50 cultural figures from around the world, including four Nobel laureates, backed the decision.

A majority of Barcelona councilors, including opposition parties and the Socialists, the junior partner in the local government, urged the mayor to reverse her decision in a plenary session, but this is not binding.