Because of the open war that has been declared between Israel and Palestine we will have many occasions to talk about it, since everyone agrees that it will be long, bloody and devastating, and, as well, because the most important news stories can be read, fully updated, in this newspaper, I would like to use this daily editorial to run through the range of views that exist in Catalonia, Spain and Europe. We have seen it since Saturday itself in the different statements and positionings that have been produced, both in public statements, in the use of politicians' social media accounts, and even on the street - which is not a reliable expression on many occasions, but whose importance should never be disdained.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was one of the first to react and described the actions taken by Hamas as terrorism in its most despicable form. The headquarters of the European Parliament and the European Commission in Brussels flew the flag of Israel over the weekend as a sign of support for the country. The Commission raised it on one of the flagpoles outside its headquarters and during the night and early morning it also projected an image with a large Israeli flag on the facade of the building itself in Berlaymont. For her part, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, published on her X account a photograph of the flag of Israel, flying next to other EU flags on the poles of one of the buildings occupied by the European Parliament. Further afield, they did the same in Manhattan on the Empire State Building and in different cities in the United States, on Buenos Aires's Icon, on the Brazilian senate and on the Sydney Opera House, used for the occasion by the authorities as an emblematic building.
Images were also seen of the Israeli flag flying alongside the French tricolor in Paris. And also, with a Star of David in blue on a white background, lighting up such emblematic buildings as the Eiffel Tower; in front of 10 Downing Street, residence of the British prime minister; in Rome, in front of the Italian Parliament, and at the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, and in Vienna, at the Austrian chancellery. These are some examples from European countries around us that, if nothing else, should make us reflect. All European countries and Brussels have described Hamas as terrorists and have primarily made the point of defending Israel's right to self-defence.
In Spain, Pedro Sánchez's public response was much more diffuse, although he did write on his X account that it was a terrorist attack against Israel, which he condemned and demanded an immediate end to the violence against the civilian public. The Israeli flag was not lit up or projected, nor flown in any Spanish government centre, whereas the contrary occurred in, for example, the Community of Madrid, which illuminated its facade of the Royal Postal House, seat of the autonomous community presidency and location of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's office, as well as the town hall of the Spanish capital, with the fountain and the Palau de Cibeles showing the colours of the Israeli flag.
And thus we arrive in Catalonia and Barcelona on this journey. The mayor of the Catalan capital, Jaume Collboni, published a tweet expressing his consternation over the tragic events being reported from Israel and gave a firm condemnation of the attacks against Israel and its civilian population. The ambassador of Israel also expressed her gratitude to Collboni on social media. There is no record of the Israeli flag being flown in any official building belonging to the Barcelona city council, nor of a building being lit up with its colors. Nor was it announced that any initiative was planned in this regard.
Even more discreet was the position of the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès: no tweets on the subject - yes, he did make several about the right-wing demonstration in Barcelona on Sunday, his participation in an event held by the trade union CCOO, an act of homage to the defender of the Republic Miquel Rovira; and an exhibition on Joan Fuster and Josep Pla at the Palau Robert, no official statement from the Palau de la Generalitat and, yes, a few words in Masquefa on Sunday in which on behalf of the Catalan government, he condemned the attack by Hamas against the Israeli civilian population and deeply regretted the escalation of violence that was taking place and the war situation that was spreading. In politics, gestures have their importance and I think that many Catalans would have preferred, in this regard, to resemble Paris, London, Brussels, Rome or Berlin.