President Reuven Rivlin told the Spanish Senate on Tuesday that he hopes the controversy over the Catalonian region's declaration of independence "will be solved with understanding," according to Yediot Ahronot.
Regarding boycotts against Israel, Rivlin said, "In this house there are those who criticize, sometimes harshly, Israeli policy, but a barrier must be put in place between criticism and boycotts," adding, "Anyone who tries to harm the State of Israel by means of boycotts and delegitimization is personally sabotaging the chances of reaching a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will find itself on the wrong side of history."
Rivlin expressed hope that Spain would stand by Israel's diplomatic struggle against Iran and its involvement in the region. Referring to the Holocaust, he concluded, "We have a clear expectation from Israel's friends throughout the world to choose a side, and not to accept additional attempts to erase the Jewish people, not by deeds or words."