Jerusalem, Madrid explore capital city twinning despite Israel-Hamas war

Jerusalem and Madrid are discussing possibly twinning their capital cities after Jewish Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum visited Spain last week. 

Hassan-Nahoum met with Sanz Otero, the Deputy Mayor of Madrid and a member of the Popular Party. They explored the possibility of formalizing their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), even as the war against Hamas rages. 

Spain has been among the highest critics of Israel's efforts. 

Details of the official visit

This was the first official visit following the deterioration of relations between Madrid and Jerusalem amid the Gaza war.

Fluent in Spanish, Hassan-Nahoum, also the Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy on Innovation, actively represented Israel's stance in more than 30 interviews throughout her four-day visit, which the NGO and media organization Fuente Latina organized.

Hassan-Nahoum noted a palpable chill in the atmosphere towards Israel. During her meetings with Jewish university students, she said they told her "horrible stories" about Israelis getting kicked out of restaurants and bars, students losing friends at school, and a general feeling of isolation. Palestinian flags were hung in various locations.

Specifically in Barcelona, where the PSOE (Spain's Socialist Workers' Party) governs, relations have been especially strained since October 7. Hassan-Nahoum had set up a meeting with the local mayor and deputy mayor, but they canceled the day before with no explanation.

"Sadly, the mayor of a major international city like Barcelona is not willing to sit down with me, even if it is to tell me that he does not agree with Israel's policies," Hassan-Nahoum said. "It has been very reactionary behavior on his part and a shame."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez went to the Gaza border in November, where he criticized Israel just a few weeks after the Hamas attack that sparked the war, prompting Jerusalem to withdraw its ambassador.

Hassan-Nahoum said she was proud to stand up for her country in Spain. 

Proud to represent her country

"Spanish is the world's second most spoken language, and Spain's media dominates global Latino news coverage, so battling this front of the media war is essential to winning hearts and minds," she said. 

Spanish media also impacts the United States, where, according to a recent Pew Research Center report, about 32 million Hispanic Americans will be eligible to vote in the presidential election this year.

Hassan-Nahoum is the only current Spanish-speaking politician in Israel.

"We are experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism that have not been seen since the 19th century," Hassan-Nahoum concluded. "I know we are fighting a war, but we must understand that we need to be more aware and perhaps have a strategy to protect Diaspora communities."