Gaza City thanks Barcelona for its solidarity "in the darkest hours"

BarcelonaWith the aim of strengthening ties with Palestinian cities, Barcelona launched its District 11 this Monday. The project, which was announced by the mayor, Jaume Collboni, during his official trip In Jordan, it copies the model that Mayor Pasqual Maragall promoted in the 1990s to contribute to the recovery of Sarajevo. However, this time the objective will be to strengthen and stabilize technical cooperation with Palestinian localities, including Gaza City, Bethlehem, and Ramallah, to help them rebuild from the devastation of the war.

The initiative plans to assign municipal workers to coordinate cooperation projects, emulating the structure of a city district. Collboni announced this Monday that it will be led by the second deputy mayor and head of Human Rights, Maria Eugenia Gay. The project, with a budget of 1.5 million euros, will also have a technical team focused solely on these functions and an advisory committee chaired by Manel Vila, former manager of District 11 Sarajevo.

"We want to convey to the people of Palestine that we are by their side, that they have the right to live in their land and in their cities, and that Barcelona will help them in every way it can," said Collboni, who during his speech predicted that this genocide will end up in international courts. He also argued that, given the current situation, indifference is unacceptable and that we must work for peace and for Palestine to become "a free state."

The event also included the participation of the mayors of Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Gaza City, who sent videos of gratitude to the Catalan capital. Amid the Israeli offensive on his city, the mayor of Gaza City, Yahya Al Sarraj, wanted to thank Barcelona for standing by the Palestinian people "in their darkest hours" and at a time when its neighbors are facing "unprecedented challenges."

"The Right Side of History"

The event was closed by the Palestinian ambassador to Spain, Husni Abdel Wahed, who thanked Barcelona for its solidarity with the Palestinians and Spain's role in the conflict. "Spain has always been in the right place in history, and Barcelona has also been where it should be. Unfortunately, not everyone acts this way," said the diplomat, who asserted that the Catalan capital's generosity will be "forever etched" in the Palestinian people.

The ambassador also praised the importance of a project that seeks to contribute to the reconstruction of Palestinian cities because, he said, "reconstruction is the answer to the essence of Zionism, which is destruction." "We are committed to rebuilding our homeland better than it was," he concluded.