Why London’s Hackney Council wants to repeal its ‘twin’ status with Haifa

East London's Hackney Council is preparing to vote on ending its decades-long twinning relationship with Haifa, Israel's third-largest city located north of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast. The two municipalities established their formal twinning declaration on July 26, 1968, with the stated aim of fostering cultural exchanges and friendly relations between citizens. Such city-pairing arrangements have been a longstanding British tradition designed to promote cultural dialogue, trade, and tourism.

The council indicated that the twinning agreement has remained dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic and stated it will not participate in twinning activities with Haifa while conflict continues. The push to formally dissolve the partnership gained momentum following May's local elections, when the Green Party assumed control of Hackney Council from the Labour Party. The Green Party has historically maintained a pro-Palestine position and has opposed Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Petitions calling for the end of the twinning relationship have been submitted by local groups, including the Hackney Palestinian Solidarity Campaign in 2024. A cross-party motion was subsequently launched in October by the Greens and Hackney Independent Socialist Groups. The council noted that public pressure has intensified following a September report by the United Nations fact-finding mission, which alleged Israeli forces committed breaches of international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Residents have also raised concerns that Haifa serves as a primary naval facility and hosts the global headquarters of defence manufacturers, including Elbit Systems. Alongside the motion to terminate the twinning agreement, the council has proposed establishing a cross-party working group to review Hackney's broader twinning programmes. The vote has drawn criticism from Jewish groups in England.