The end of the twin cities alliance? A London borough is on the way to severing its ties with Haifa

The council of the London borough of Hackney, controlled by the Green Party, voted on Tuesday night in favor of initiating the process to cancel the twinning agreement with Haifa, which was signed in 1968. The decision was made despite sharp opposition from council members from the Labour and Conservative parties, who called the move "divisive" and "merely symbolic."

The vote does not cancel the agreement at this stage, but rather opens a process that could lead to the official termination of municipal ties. The Mayor of Hackney, Zoe Garbett, will contact the Mayor of Haifa to receive the municipality's position. Simultaneously, an assessment of the move's impact on equality will be conducted, and a consultation process with stakeholders will take place.

Afterwards, an inter-party working group will examine Haifa's response, the positions submitted, and the results of the equality assessment, and will formulate a final recommendation to be brought to a further vote in the full council. Opposition members criticized the fact that the process began even before the assessment was carried out.

The twinning agreement between Hackney and Haifa has focused over the last three decades mainly on delegation exchanges between Homerton University Hospital in London and the Rambam Medical Center. Activities were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last known civil event within the framework of the relationship was a reception for nurses from Rambam in October 2019.

The Greens, who came to power in Hackney following a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel campaign, pledged in their election manifesto to cancel the agreement with Haifa. Garbett said during the discussion that the move was intended to examine "who we are as a council, what we legitimize, and who we work with," and described Haifa as a "military port city."

Conservative council member Simcha Steinberger argued that the Greens did not consult with any of the six Jewish council members:

"If I were Haifa, I would be ashamed to be a twin city of Hackney in the current situation. It is a disgrace."

On the other hand, Jewish council member for the Greens, Florence Schechter, supported the decision:

"If British Jews want to fight rising antisemitism, the first thing they should do is condemn the genocide in Palestine."

Labour council member Ben Lucas warned that this is a "symbolic step that will only fuel tensions between communities." According to him, the connection with Haifa was created in a spirit of solidarity and medical cooperation, and its cancellation will prevent dialogue and harm ties with the city's residents.

The President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Phil Rosenberg, strongly condemned the vote:

"Haifa is a diverse city, seen as a model for ethnic and religious coexistence. If the Greens in Hackney had a real interest in peace, they would be celebrating Haifa, not condemning it."

According to him, the decision shows a preference for "spite over logic."