Israel barred Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni from entering the country on Friday, two months after his city council severed all ties with the Israeli government and ended its twin-city relationship with Tel Aviv.
Collboni, set to visit Yad Vashem and the Palestinian Authority, canceled his trip after the rejection. His entry request via the ETA system, which pre-screens travel from visa-exempt countries, was denied due to his anti-Israel statements, a decision made by the Population and Immigration Authority, acting Interior Minister Yariv Levin, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi.
In late May, Collboni’s Socialist-led council voted to cut “all institutional ties with the current Israeli government until human rights in Gaza are respected,” reversing his own September 2024 decision to restore Tel Aviv ties, which had been severed by his predecessor Ada Colau.
The council’s move included economic steps to block cooperation with companies linked to Israel, as identified by the UN for alleged illegal operations in territories harming Palestinian rights, economy, society and culture. It also directed the Fira de Barcelona trade fair to exclude Israeli pavilions and urged Barcelona’s port to deny docking to ships carrying arms to Israel.
The decision aligns with Spain’s stance among 21 nations condemning Israel’s approval of the E1 plan in Ma’ale Adumim, which disrupts Palestinian territorial continuity between Ramallah and Bethlehem and was once dubbed a “death knell” for a Palestinian state.