palestine

Victòria Alsina's comments prompt backlash from parties who voted in favor

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 initiative targets 10,000 young women, studying at university and wanting to start their own business, from Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Spain. The 'Young Women as Job Creators' project aims to create 400 new businesses. It is an initiative by the Union for the Mediterranean – whose headquarters are based in Barcelona – and the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME). The project will run from May to November 2013 and it will be based on workshops and courses taught in universities from the four countries involved. The initiative has a budget of €300,000, paid by the Government of Norway, the Catalan multinational Gas Natural Fenosa, the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Investment Bank.

The Blaugrana will play exhibition matches in Shanghai on the 4th of August, Bangkok on the 7th of August and Kuala Lumpur on the 10th of August. However, the names of the teams facing Barça have not been revealed yet. It will be the second FC Barcelona’s Asia Tour after that of summer 2010. Barça will firstly play against Guardiola’s Bayern Munich on the 24th of July, for charity purposes. Furthermore, the Catalan team might play on Tel Aviv on the 31st of July with a Israel and Palestine side in order to support peace and understanding, although this has not been confirmed yet.

The President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, supports the Union for the Mediterranean initiative. The UfM decided to build its first project in Gaza: a desalinisation water plant and distribution system. Abbas will meet with the new Secretary General of the UfM, Youssef Amrani, who took office last week.

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.

The Israeli Ambassador to Spain, Raphael Schultz, spoke of Israel?s position on the Union for the Mediterranean in an interview with CNA. He stressed that ?we need the Union for the Mediterranean, but with the negative attitudes from Arab countries, we wi