Ambassador of Spain in Israel, Mr. Alvaro Iranzo hosted the celebration of Spain's National Day at his residence in Hertzliya.
The guests were received by the Ambassador, Mr. Iranzo, and a long line of cultural and military attaches, counselors, secretaries and other members of the Spanish Mission in Israel.
The event started with the Ambassador's speech. His Excellency welcomed those in attendance in both Hebrew and Spanish. Among the distinguished guests were Israel's fifth president, Mr. Izhak Navon and Prof. Ben Zion Netanyahu, father of Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
Ambassador Iranzo said that Spain was celebrating the discovery of America, an event that made Spain a global actor with great responsibilities. Mr. Iranzo added that Spain is no longer a superpower but history has rewarded the country with the crown of world soccer champions.
Ambassador Iranzo mentioned that Spain has promoted Europe's relations with Israel, as the president of the European Union in the first half of 2010. He spoke of the official visits of Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Spain as well as the frequent visits of Miguel Angel Moratinos to Israel.
Ambassador Iranzo spoke of the growing cooperation between Israel and Spain and mentioned that the two countries had signed agreements to increase collaboration in all fields.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Iranzo raised a toast to the occasion and invited Minister of Education, Mr. Gideon Sa'ar, to carry his words.
Minister of Education, Mr. Gideon Sa'ar first congratulated the Ambassador, the present and all of Spain for their national day and the achievement of winning the world cup last June.
Mr. Sa'ar said that next year, Israel and Spain will celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations and added that every passing year only increases the bond between the two nations. He emphasized that Spain stood alongside Israel as the president of the European Union and contributed to strengthen the relationship of Israel with EU itself.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Sa'ar also proposed to raise a glass to Spain and to the relationship between the two countries.
After the speeches, Ambassador Iranzo had the honor of awarding four Israeli citizens the Order of Civil Merit, on behalf of the King of Spain, His Majesty Juan Carlos. The recipients were Nira Toledano, Dani Karavan, Jose Benarroch and Micha Harish.
The Decoration was awarded for the distinguished contributions of the four to the relations between Israel and Spain.
(Photos: Andres Lacko)
