Barcelona mayor brands Israel an apartheid state and cuts ties with Tel Aviv

The announcement by the city, a popular tourist destination and home to one of the world’s best-known football clubs, carries significant symbolism and adds to a growing list of critics labelling Israel an apartheid state

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau (Michel Euler/AP)

The mayor of Barcelona has severed her city’s official ties with Israel, accusing the country of “the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

Wednesday’s decision by Ada Colau has little practical impact – with the most concrete effect being a halt to its 25-year-old twinning agreement with Tel Aviv.