Key Points
- Britain’s leading Jewish community groups have made formal accusations that Hackney Council pre-determined the outcome of the investigation into ending its longstanding twinning relationship with the Israeli city of Haifa.
- The joint statement was released by the London Jewish Forum, Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jewish Leadership Council, and Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association.
- According to the signatories, municipal authorities instructed research to be conducted on termination of the partnership while a public consultation was still underway.
- Leaders of the community raised serious concerns about the integrity of the process amid a sharp increase in the number of antisemitic attacks in London.
- The borough of Hackney, which is the second largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom, has been maintaining official civic relations with Haifa since 1968.
- The resolution on termination of the relations was adopted at the full council meeting on July 28 following the capture of the municipality by the Green Party in May.
- The mayor of Hackney, Zoe Garbett, defended the resolution during the meeting arguing that it is a necessary step in order to stop local authorities from being accomplices in the humanitarian disaster.
Hackney (East London Times) September 8, 2026 — Leading British Jewish organisations have publicly accused Hackney Council of predetermining the result of an official review aimed at disbanding its historic civic partnership with the Israeli city of Haifa. In a joint letter addressed to local authorities, representatives from the London Jewish Forum, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, and the Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association expressed deep skepticism regarding the transparency of the proceedings. The collective body stated that information had come to light suggesting the local authority had already commissioned operational work to dissolve the arrangement, despite an ongoing consultation process intended to gather public and stakeholder feedback.
The joint letter highlighted significant apprehension over the timing and implications of the decision, noting that there are serious questions regarding the purpose and integrity of the council-led review. Authors of the correspondence emphasized that the administrative direction chosen by the civic leadership is particularly concerning in the context of the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents observed across Greater London. Community representatives maintained that discarding a long-standing bridge between diverse populations sends a damaging signal during a period of heightened communal tension.
How did the debate over the Haifa partnership reach this critical point?
The Borough of Hackney, located in East London, holds distinct demographic significance as it is home to the second-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom. The municipality has been formally twinned with Haifa, a port city in northern Israel known for its mixed population of approximately 40,000 Arab residents alongside its Jewish majority, since 1968. For more than five decades, the arrangement served as an avenue for cultural exchange, educational links, and civic diplomacy focused on fostering co-existence.
However, the political landscape of the borough shifted following the municipal elections in May, when the Green Party assumed control of Hackney Council. The long-standing agreement was placed under immediate scrutiny as part of the new administration’s foreign policy and ethical investment agenda. The formal motion proposing the termination of the twinning arrangement was introduced and subsequently passed at the very first full council meeting under Green Party leadership on 28 July.
What statements were made during the council proceedings?
The decision was debated during a highly charged council session marked by intense public interest and passionate contributions from elected officials and community members. Defending the resolution to re-evaluate and potentially break ties with the Israeli municipality, Mayor Zoe Garbett outlined the administration’s stance on global accountability and municipal governance. Addressing the chamber, Mayor Zoe Garbett stated that the local authority was urgently addressing the council’s complicity in a humanitarian crisis, asserting that official administrative links could not remain disconnected from broader international developments.
Supporters of the motion argued that municipal councils must align their international partnerships with human rights standards, contending that maintaining formal civic links under current circumstances represents an implicit endorsement of state actions. Conversely, opponents of the initiative argued that civic twinning is designed specifically to connect communities rather than endorse national governments. Representatives from the local Jewish community argued that Haifa represents a rare, functioning model of Arab-Jewish co-existence and shared civic life, making it an inappropriate target for municipal disengagement.
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Background of the particular development
Civic twinning arrangements in the United Kingdom originated largely in the post-Second World War era, designed to promote cross-border reconciliation, cultural understanding, and direct community-to-community links independent of federal diplomatic relations. The relationship between the London Borough of Hackney and the municipality of Haifa was formalised in 1968, establishing a structural bond that facilitated various community projects, youth exchanges, and civic visits over fifty-eight years.
Haifa, situated on the slopes of Mount Carmel, occupies a unique position within Israeli society. As the third-largest city in the country, it is widely recognized for its integrated neighbourhoods, shared public spaces, and mixed demographic makeup, including significant Muslim, Christian, Druze, and Jewish populations. Because of this, historic supporters of the twinning arrangement have consistently maintained that the partnership served as a direct engagement with an urban model of pluralism.
In recent years, local government politics across the United Kingdom have increasingly become dynamic arenas for debates surrounding international policy, ethical procurement, and global human rights. Following political shifts in local elections, several municipal councils have faced demands from activist groups and political factions to review investments, procurement contracts, and international civic agreements tied to regions affected by geopolitical conflict.
The political shift in Hackney during the May local elections brought these global debates into the local council chamber. When the Green Party secured leadership of the council, reviewing the borough’s international commitments became a immediate policy priority. The speed with which the proposal was introduced—passing at the initial full council meeting on 28 July—ignited widespread debate regarding due process, administrative neutrality, and the degree to which municipal councils should engage in international diplomacy at the perceived expense of local communal cohesion.
Prediction: How this development can affect the local community
The potential dissolution of the twinning link and the ongoing dispute regarding administrative transparency are poised to have tangible social and political ramifications for the residents of Hackney, particularly the local Jewish population.
- Erosion of Trust in Local Governance: The perception that Hackney Council initiated a public consultation while simultaneously commissioning work to finalize the severance of ties threatens to severely damage trust between municipal leadership and minority communities. If public consultations are viewed as performative exercises rather than genuine fact-finding missions, future civic engagement initiatives across the borough may suffer from diminished participation and skepticism regarding administrative integrity.
- Impact on Local Communal Cohesion: Hackney’s identity is deeply rooted in its multicultural heritage and large Jewish constituency. Escalating political friction over international disputes within council chambers often translates into heightened anxiety for local residents. Accusations of predetermination—set against the backdrop of rising regional antisemitism—may deepen feelings of alienation among Jewish residents, leading to a breakdown in dialogue between local government bodies and grassroots community institutions.
- Precedent for Municipal International Relations: The outcome in Hackney will likely serve as a high-profile benchmark for local authorities across the United Kingdom facing similar motions. A complete severance of ties could encourage similar campaigns in other boroughs, altering the traditional, non-partisan nature of UK civic twinning programs and shifting their focus toward active geopolitical positioning.
- Loss of Direct Cultural and Educational Bridges: Disbanding the formal arrangement removes a structural channel for civil society interaction between East London and Haifa. Local schools, charitable organisations, and cultural groups that previously utilised the twinning platform for mutual exchange will lose institutional support, ending a fifty-eight-year-old framework built on community-level dialogue.
