Hackney Mayor Criticised Over Haifa Twinning 7 October Deadline London 2026

Key Points

• Controversial Deadline Set: Green Party Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, sent a letter to Mayor Yona Yahav of Haifa, Israel, announcing plans to sever their 58-year twin-city relationship, initially setting a response deadline of 7 October.
• Severe Backlash from Community Leaders: Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, accused the local administration of “ignorance and bigotry,” while other Jewish community leaders described the choice of date as “crass and shockingly insensitive”.
• Calls for Resignation: Martin Sugarman, Chair of the Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association, alongside representatives from the Jewish Leadership Council and former hostages’ advocacy groups, called for Mayor Garbett’s immediate resignation.
• Council Apology and Deadline Revision: Hackney Council subsequently issued an apology, attributing the choice of 7 October to an administrative consultation system error, and moved the response deadline forward.
• Council Vote on Twinning: The move follows a vote by the Green-led Hackney Council on 28 July 2026 to initiate a formal process to dissolve the civic link with Haifa, citing concerns over international law and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Hackney (East London Times) August 1, 2026 – Hackney Council’s newly elected Green Party mayor, Zoë Garbett, has drawn intense public criticism after issuing a formal letter to her counterpart in Haifa, Israel, seeking to terminate the borough’s historic twinning agreement and establishing 7 October as the deadline for a response. The date coincides with the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas terror attack on southern Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage. The timing of the correspondence has provoked widespread outrage amongst civic organizations, interfaith representatives, and national political figures who have labeled the deadline deeply offensive and demanded accountability. In response to the escalating controversy, Hackney Town Hall issued a statement expressing regret for the “insensitive error” and confirmed that the closing date for the consultation had been adjusted.

Why Has the Hackney Council Decision Sparked Such Strong Opposition?

The decision by Mayor Zoë Garbett to set 7 October as the formal response date for ending civic ties with Haifa has been met with condemnation across multiple community organisations and political bodies.

As reported by reporter Express.co.uk, Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, stated that

“Whether this was deliberate or the product of staggering insensitivity, it is an appalling choice of date”.

He further added:

“That nobody involved in drafting or approving a letter about Israel recognised its significance speaks volumes about Hackney Greens’ attitude towards this issue and their local Jewish community”.

Representing the regional community organization that oversees the civic connection, Martin Sugarman, Chair of the Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association, expressed severe concern regarding the decision. As reported in The Daily Express, Mr Sugarman stated:

“The Green Party mayor must resign over this and immediately apologise to the Jewish community and to Israel. If October 7 was chosen deliberately, then it is vile and sinister. It could barely be more offensive. If it was somehow done in error, then it is staggering to think no one in the council realised the significance of that date. Heads must roll over this”.

A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council also delivered a swift rebuke of the town hall’s actions. As reported by The Daily Express, the spokesperson stated that

“In choosing this date of all days as a deadline, the mayor of Hackney has taken her politics of division a step further in a sickening attempt to mock and torment Israelis in their grief, and bringing insult to the memory of those murdered and kidnapped by Hamas on October 7”.

Further condemnation came from diplomatic and advocacy representatives. As reported in The Daily Express, Lord Pickles, the former UK Government Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, stated:

“The decision to end the consultation on the anniversary of the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust is either provocative or insensitive crassness. Either way, it is a new low for the Greens”.

Additionally, as reported by The Daily Express, Nivi Feldman, former head of the UK Hostages and Missing Families Forum, stated that the council should “be ashamed” and called for the mayor to step down, adding:

“At a time when hostages and their families are still trying to heal from unimaginable trauma, and antisemitism continues to rise across the UK, Hackney Council has chosen division over dialogue”.

What Position Has Hackney Council and Mayor Zoë Garbett Taken?

Hackney Council and its leadership have maintained that ending the twinning agreement is rooted in adherence to human rights standards and ethical civic partnerships, while maintaining that the choice of deadline was an unintended operational mistake.

As reported by The Evening Standard, Mayor Zoë Garbett stated:

“This Council stands up for human rights and wants to ensure our global connections reflect our shared core values. We want active, ethical partnerships that champion peace. Given the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and the gravity of the UN Commission of Inquiry Reports concluding Israel has committed genocide, maintaining a civic connection with what is widely recognised is a military port city is fundamentally at odds with our anti-racist values”.

Following the backlash regarding the initial correspondence, Hackney Town Hall published a formal clarification. As reported by The Telegraph, a spokesperson for Hackney Council stated:

“We apologise for the insensitivity of the original closing date for our consultation. We originally set the consultation to run for ten weeks on the consultation platform. As soon as we noticed this error, we changed the closing date”.

The council subsequently adjusted the deadline to 5 October and later granted a one-week extension.

Providing further detail on the municipal review process, Councillor Sam Mathys, Cabinet Lead for Culture at Hackney Council, outlined the broader strategy regarding international links. As reported by The Evening Standard, Councillor Mathys stated:

“Reviewing the council’s twinning links is a commitment of this administration. I’m therefore very proud to lead this work and start this process. Civic partnerships should be about shared values, fostering peace, striving for justice and equality. We will review our twinning relationships through this lens and bring recommendations back for consideration at a future Council meeting”.

What Is the Background to the Hackney and Haifa Twinning Relationship?

How Did the Twinning Between Hackney and Haifa Begin?

The “twin city” concept gained international prominence following the Second World War as a mechanism to rebuild diplomatic ties, foster cross-border reconciliation, and promote cultural exchange between municipalities. Following the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, several UK local authorities with notable Jewish populations established civic ties with Israeli cities. The London Borough of Hackney formally twinned with the Israeli port city of Haifa in 1968.

What Real-World Connections Did the Agreement Maintain?

According to official council reports published prior to the vote, the partnership between Hackney and Haifa had primarily functioned through professional and medical exchanges between Homerton University Hospital in Hackney and Rambam Medical Health Care Campus in Haifa. Over three decades, these exchanges facilitated clinical collaboration, including visits from Israeli medical specialists to share expertise with healthcare workers in North East London. However, town hall records indicate that formal active exchanges under the agreement had been largely paused following the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Has the Political Landscape in Hackney Changed Recently?

The political administration of Hackney Council underwent a significant shift during the local elections in May 2026, when the Green Party secured a majority, capturing 42 out of 57 council seats and ending decades of Labour Party control in the borough. Ending the historic twinning agreement with Haifa had been explicitly included as a campaign commitment within the local Green Party manifesto. On 28 July 2026, the newly constituted council voted in favour of initiating the formal process to sever ties with Haifa.

What Are the Future Predictions for How This Development Will Affect the Local Community?

The decision to sever ties with Haifa, combined with the controversy surrounding the 7 October deadline, is projected to have significant long-term implications for local governance, community cohesion, and political representation across East London:

• Heightened Inter-Community Tensions: Hackney is home to one of the UK’s largest and most vibrant Jewish communities, concentrated particularly in areas such as Stamford Hill. The selection of 7 October—even if classified by the council as an administrative oversight—has deepened feelings of alienation and mistrust between local faith groups and town hall leadership.
• Shift in Local Political Scrutiny: With the Green Party holding a strong majority, opposition groups and community advocates are expected to increase scrutiny over municipal priorities. Critics have signaled that they will press the administration to focus strictly on local service delivery—such as housing, social care, public health, and waste management—rather than international geopolitical declarations.
• Precedent for Municipal Foreign Policy Decisions: The formal dissolution process underway in Hackney may set a precedent for other local authorities across the United Kingdom considering similar motions regarding international twin-city relationships, prompting increased debate over the appropriate scope of local council remits in foreign affairs.