Hackney Council votes to end 58-year twinning with Haifa

Hackney Council has taken the first step to sever its 58-year twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Haifa. The decision, approved by a majority at a full council meeting on 28 July, follows a Green party manifesto commitment made before its landslide victory in May’s local elections.

The vote authorises the council to write formally to Haifa’s mayor to seek the city’s views and establishes a six-member cross-party working group. The group, chaired by Green councillor Sam Mathys, will review all five of Hackney’s twinning arrangements and report back to full council in January 2027.

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ICJ rulings cited as justification

Cllr Mathys, cabinet member for twinning relationships, told the chamber the decision was consistent with the council’s values and commitment to human rights. He referenced two International Court of Justice rulings: a January 2024 order that found Palestinians had plausible rights to protection under the Genocide Convention, and a July 2024 advisory opinion that concluded Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory was unlawful.

The Hackney Citizen reported that Mathys said the council had a responsibility to ensure its institutional relationships aligned with international law. The council’s agenda papers describe the Haifa link as inactive since 2019, with the last known civic event a reception for visiting nurses from Haifa’s Rambam Medical Centre in October of that year.

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Opposition accuses council of performative politics

The decision drew sharp criticism from Conservative and Labour councillors. Simche Steinberger, Conservative councillor for Springfield, accused the administration of dismantling the only twinning link that produced tangible benefits. He cited medical cooperation between Rambam Medical Centre and Homerton Hospital, including visits by Haifa doctors.

Steinberger told the chamber the decision was made before the review had begun. He said, “It’s like building a house and first putting a roof and then putting the bricks.” He also noted that Haifa is one of Israel’s most left-leaning cities, where the Green party is the second-largest group on the council.

Labour councillor Ben Lucas, representing Hoxton West, said his party could not support the paper in good conscience. He called the move a performative gesture that would inflame community tensions. Lucas said, “You are punishing people for the actions of a government.”

How can a transparent review that is non-partisan, open and transparent, already come with a decision before the review has begun? You need to be honest about what you’re doing here.

Anntoinette Bramble, Labour group leader

Labour group leader Anntoinette Bramble questioned the structure of the report, noting members were being asked to approve a review that had not yet begun. She also criticised behaviour in the chamber, asking how the council could build bridges in the community if it could not maintain civility in its own meetings.

Jewish councillors split on decision

Green councillor Florence Schechter, cabinet member for finance, invoked her Jewish faith to support the decision. She said, “It is my Jewish values that inform me: Hackney should no longer be twinned with Haifa.” Schechter cited the sixth commandment and the sanctity of life in Jewish doctrine, arguing that Israel’s actions constituted a Chillul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name.

Schechter said she was not the only Jewish councillor in the Green group to hold this view. She spoke on behalf of Cathy Troupp, another Green councillor and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Steinberger, however, said the administration had failed to consult any of the borough’s six Jewish councillors before the vote.

Green councillor Manal Massalha, elected in a by-election on 25 June, spoke remotely about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. She cited figures from Amnesty International, B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch, stating that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,100 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire, including 282 children. She said, “Justice for Palestine is justice for all.”

What happens next

The council will launch a public consultation on its Citizen Space platform, allowing residents to give their views on the twinning arrangements. Legal advice in the report recommends a minimum of three months’ notice to Haifa, given the length of the relationship.

The working group will review all five of Hackney’s twinning links, including those with Göttingen and Barbados, which the council’s agenda papers describe as dormant for 25 years. The group’s findings will be presented to full council in January 2027, when a final decision on the Haifa link is expected.