Bordeaux's city hall firmly upholds its July decision to suspend twinning with the Israeli city of Ashdod, made by Mayor Pierre Hurmic. Challenged by Senator Nathalie Delattre, who calls for resuming exchanges, the municipality argues that the ongoing armed conflict makes any renewal of cooperation premature, especially for youth programs.
On July 1, ecologist Mayor Pierre Hurmic suspended the twinning between Bordeaux and Ashdod, a decision that continues to spark heated debates. Last Friday, Senator and municipal candidate Nathalie Delattre (Radical Party) sent a letter to the mayor demanding the restoration of the partnership. 'The very spirit of twinning is dialogue, friendship, and cooperation between peoples, whatever the current political tensions,' she writes. She adds that 'the process of liberating Israeli hostages held by Hamas is underway after more than two years of captivity; the geopolitical situation is finally starting a dynamic of easing tensions; it is time to send a strong signal.'
This stance was echoed by Deputy Thomas Cazenave at the July 8 municipal council: 'We regret that the city of Bordeaux is being dragged despite itself into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even though you know full well that our exchanges and positions have no impact.'
The municipal majority remains unyielding. Deputy Mayor Céline Papin retorts: 'The activities we had with Ashdod concern youth and the economy. It is evident, despite the start of a ceasefire, that we cannot send young Bordelais to Israel in the logic of reciprocity that also characterizes twinning.' She stands by her position: 'It seems premature to me to resume cooperation activities with Ashdod, whose country is engaged in an armed conflict.'
The city hall has also not yielded to the demand for a definitive break in the twinning, put forward by pro-Palestinian militants. Four of them undertook a 43-day hunger strike, ending on September 24. Their spokesperson, Joséphine Lavoisier, explains: 'We understood that the mayor and his deputy would not give in and that we would die if we continued. We decided to stay alive to talk about it through other actions.' These militants will organize mid-November, with the city's support, 'The Israel-Palestine Days' to discuss 'the imperative of peace.'