Hackney Council has voted to end a near 60-year twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Haifa, citing concerns over the conflict in Gaza and prompting strong community criticism.
The east London authority, which came under Green Party control after local elections in May, approved the move at a full council meeting on Tuesday.
The twinning arrangement, established in 1968, has linked the two cities through cultural, civic and community exchanges for almost six decades.
Hackney Mayor Zoe Garbett, who assumed the role as the party’s first-ever successful mayoral candidate, said the council’s decision reflected its position after findings by a United Nations commission revealed Israel’s actions in Gaza.
She told councillors during the debate: “This is about who we are as a council, what we condone, who we work with, and what that says about who we are.”
The decision has drawn criticism from Jewish organisations and opposition councillors, who argue Haifa is widely recognised for its diverse population and record of coexistence between Jewish and Arab communities.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described the move as “misguided”, arguing that Haifa should be viewed as an example of coexistence, rather than a target for disapproval.
He said: “Haifa is a diverse city, widely seen as a model of ethnic and religious coexistence.
Green Party Hackney Mayor Zoe Garbett (left) said the decision speaks to ‘who we are’ and ‘what we condone’
|
GETTY“If the Hackney Greens had any genuine interest in peace, they would celebrate Haifa, not censure it.
“This vote represents the prioritisation of spite over sense.”
The council also faced criticism after it emerged that a public consultation on ending the twinning agreement had initially been scheduled to conclude on October 7 – the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
The date prompted complaints from politicians and Jewish community representatives, who described it as “insensitive”.
Hackney Council later apologised, and confirmed the consultation closing date had been changed.
A council spokesman said: “We apologise for the insensitivity of the original closing date for our consultation. We originally set the consultation to run for 10 weeks on the consultation platform.
“As soon as we noticed this error, we changed the closing date.”
During the decision debate, Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger criticised both the move to cut ties and the consultation process, saying Jewish councillors had not been consulted before the proposal was brought forward.
Hackney has been linked to Haifa through cultural, civic and community exchanges for almost six decades
|
GETTY
Meanwhile, Labour councillor Ben Lucas also opposed the move, describing the twinning arrangement as a long-standing partnership “rooted in working-class solidarity” and medical cooperation.
“The resident-led twinning with Haifa was forged in 1968 in a spirit of working-class solidarity,” he said.
“Far from showing solidarity, trashing that civic link signals that we abandon them. This is a performative gesture that will only inflame community tensions.”
Just yesterday, Mr Lucas confirmed he had submitted a formal complaint over the consultation timetable.
Lord Pickles, the former UK Government Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, also condemned the original consultation deadline, saying ending it on October 7 was “either provocative or insensitive crassness”.
Nivi Feldman, former head of the UK Hostages and Missing Families Forum, accused the council of choosing “division over dialogue”, at a time when antisemitism remained a significant concern in Britain.
With the shift in Hackney’s international civic relationships, it is expected to remain the subject of public consultation before any formal termination of the partnership is completed.
