Leading Jewish groups have accused Hackney Council of "pre-determining" a review into disbanding historic twinning arrangements with the Israeli city of Haifa.
A joint letter from the London Jewish Forum, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association (HAIFA) said they understood the council had already commissioned work to end the partnership despite an ongoing consultation process.
The letter added: “This course of action is particularly concerning in the context of the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in London.”
Hackney, which is home to Britain’s second largest Jewish community, has been twinned with Haifa, a city in northern Israel with around 40,000 Arab residents, since 1968.
The Green Party took control of Hackney Council in the May elections and the proposal to end the twinning deal was passed at the first full meeting under its leadership on July 28.
Mayor Zoe Garbett told the highly charged meeting: “We are urgently addressing this council’s complicity in a humanitarian crisis.
“Given that crisis and a UN commission concluding that Israel has committed genocide, we have made progress with divesting our pension funds by launching a review.
“And we are reviewing our international links, including a proposal to end our twinning agreement with the military port city of Haifa in Israel.
“This is about who we are as a council, what we condone, who we work with, and what that says about who we are.”
Tory councillor Simche Steinberger commented: “To be honest, if I was Haifa, I'd be ashamed to twin with Hackney in such a current situation. It's a disgrace, and it's not asked for.”
Labour’s Ben Lucas said: “This is a performative gesture that will only inflame community tensions.”
The London Jewish Forum and the Board of Deputies of British Jews raised concerns about the motion on “Hackney’s Twinning Relationships” and requested a meeting to discuss the partnership with Haifa ahead of the July 28 council meeting but did not receive a response.
In the follow up letter sent last Friday (September 4), the Jewish groups wrote: “We are seriously concerned that the outcome of this review appears to have been predetermined.
“We understand that the council has already commissioned work to end the partnership with Haifa, despite the fact that the Twinning Working Group has not yet begun its work, the review of Hackney’s twinning arrangements has not been completed, and the public consultation remains open.
“This raises serious questions about the purpose and integrity of the council-led review.
“It is difficult to see how a review can be regarded as impartial if the council is already progressing the termination of one of the relationships under consideration.”
The letter also expressed concern that the council’s opposition to Israeli government policies was being directed at the residents of Haifa which it described as “one of the most diverse and progressive cities in the Middle East”.
It went on: “The council should consider carefully the effect of its actions on community cohesion in a borough with one of London’s largest Jewish populations. Singling out an Israeli city risks importing an already polarised international debate into local community relations. Jewish residents should not bear the consequences of political disagreements about the actions of the Israeli government.
“There is a better way forward. Mayor Yona Yahav has invited you to visit Haifa. We urge you to reject symbolic political gestures, accept his invitation and see for yourself the diverse and progressive city that Hackney is proposing to turn its back on.”
Martin Sugarman, chair of the Hackney Anglo-Israel Friendship Association, said: “Those of us who have spent decades building the relationship between Hackney and Haifa are deeply dismayed by this attempt to end it.”
Amanda Bowman, co-chair of the London Jewish Forum, added: "Hackney Council has a responsibility to consider what this decision means for the people who live in the borough. At a time when antisemitism remains at deeply concerning levels, singling out an Israeli city risks increasing the pressure felt by Jewish residents.”
Hackney’s mayor Garbett apologised after initially giving Haifa until October 7 to respond to plans to end the twinning scheme.
The choice of the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 massacre as a deadline was described as “staggeringly insensitive".
After uproar from parts of the Jewish community, Garbett retracted that letter and offered a new deadline of October 14.
“The inclusion of this date was a deeply regretful oversight,” Garbett said, offering “my sincere apologies” for the “insensitive and serious mistake”.
The JC approached Hackney Council for comment.
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