arab israel relations

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, has travelled to Israel heading a delegation including businesspeople as well as the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, and the Catalan Minister for the Economy, Andreu Mas-Colell, among others. On Tuesday Mas met Shimon Peres, President of Israel, and on Monday the Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, who is also the Chairman of Yesh Atid (the second-largest party in the Knesset) and ‘number 2’ in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government. With Peres, Mas talked about a federal European Union and Catalonia’s process of building its own state. With Lapid, who is a clearly emerging figure in Israel’s political landscape, Mas talked strictly about economic matters. The Catalan delegation also signed several agreements regarding scientific research and visited the Holocaust Memorial as well as the Wailing Wall.

Palestinian and Israeli children, some disabled, enjoyed a day they’ll never forget in front of a packed Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium with FC Barcelona. The second and final clinic in the Holy Land for the so-called ‘Peace Tour’ – before the Catalan team heads for Asia – was followed by a somewhat more intense training session than in Dura, in the West Bank. During Sunday evening’s clinic in Tel Aviv, Leo Messi was accompanied by Mohamad, a 17-year-old from Palestine, and Assael, a 19-year-old from Israel.

More than 24,000 people welcomed Barça to Dura, in Palestine, where the Catalan team held the first clinic on the ‘Peace Tour’. Located close to Hebron, the Dura Stadium was packed to welcome FC Barcelona’s full first team and coaching staff, who everyone in this country is used to seeing on television. The players, who were received by a banner in Catalan, trained with a group of 40 Palestinian boys and girls.

The Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs claims: “They cannot accuse us of occupying Jewish land”. Both leaders met at a round table discussion in Barcelona on the occasion of Sant’Egidio ecumenical meeting.