First presidential visit to Spain in 25 years • President to speak in Spanish Senate, may announce Israeli stance on Catalan secession crisis • Historic visit a century after first synagogue opened in Madrid since 1492 expulsion, says Jewish leader.
Rivlin and his entourage landed Sunday night in Madrid at the king’s invitation and met with heads and members of the local Jewish community.
The leader of the Spanish Jewish community in Madrid, David Hatchwell, called on Israel to support Spanish unity in the wake of a Catalonian secession movement that has caused a constitutional crisis in the country after separatists won a controversial referendum last month.
In a speech welcoming Rivlin on Sunday night, Hatchwell said that even though Spain has not always been friendly to Israel in international forums, Spaniards want to know that Israel supports the unity of their country and recognizes the legitimacy of its constitution, which guarantees this unity.
Hatchwell said Rivlin’s visit is historic, as it comes a century after the first synagogue was established in Madrid since the expulsion of Spain’s Jewry in 1492.
Rivlin promised he would give a “very precise” answer to Hatchwell’s call in a speech he is expected to give in the Spanish Senate on Tuesday. Israel has refrained from expressing its stance on the Catalan crisis.