Revealed: truth behind Green council’s October 7 deadline

Political opponents have called the deadline an “offensive date” and warned of the Greens’ “deranged obsession with Israel”.

It comes as the JC can also reveal:

• It was suggested to Green members at a party anti-racism session that armed resistance is justified;

• The IHRA definition of antisemitism was criticised as silencing Palestinian voices at the same event;

• Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is facing mounting pressure for his party to end local government alliances with the Greens.

​The latest disclosure come as Zack Polanki’s party has faced widespread condemnation for its “antisemitic” motion branding Zionism as racism.

Writing in July to Haifa’s mayor, Garbett offered her “sincere apologies” for the “insensitive and serious mistake” in the insensitivity of the deadline.

However, correspondence revealed under FoI laws shows that officials had suggested a date to complete the consultation period at the end of October.

One of the reasons given was to take into account Jewish religious holidays.

An email discussing the consultation period from an official to the mayor on July 26 said that the initial plan was “for the engagement to run until the end of Oct, which also accounts for Jewish holidays in Sept. This would enable response analysis and the EqIA [Equality and Impact Assessment] to be produced in November, the working group to meet in December to formulate its recommendations, and a final decision at Full Council in January.”

However, in response Garbett indicated she wanted matters to progress faster.

“I think we need to give the Mayor of Haifa same time period as public so can they both be 8 weeks until the end of Sept? EQIA be produced along the same timescale. Then the group meet in Oct and report in Nov?” she replied in an email on July 27.

The rationale for going setting a longer date for consultation was explained in a subsequent email to the mayor late on July 27.

“With regards to the dates, we were being mindful of both the legal guidance and the Jewish holidays (Rosh Hashanah 11-13 Sept, Yom Kippur 20-21 Sept and Sukkot 25 Sept - 2 Oct), in suggesting a late October date. Taking both into account we could end in the first half of October (e.g. 9 October) rather than the end of that month, but that would still only allow a 5 week window to: 1. analyse all the results, 2. complete the EqlA (which the responses will need to inform), 3. produce a report for the working group and circulate it a week before the meeting, 4. the working group to meet to consider the report and formulate its recommendations. 5. a draft Full Council report to be drafted and reviewed/cleared by relevant officers and Members.6. You may also want to take the draft report to the Cabinet Roundtable and Group?”

It continued: “Ideally, we would also agree the revised twinning policy at the same meeting. The timeline is not necessarily impossible but it would be very tight.”

Hackney Town Hall (Getty Images)Getty Images

There is no evidence to suggest that Garbett deliberately chose the date of October 7 to conclude the consultation.

The date is suggested in an email between two Hackney council officers on 28 July, in which they anticipate the de-twinning decision to be passed by the Green-controlled council chamber that very night, but still agonise over the tight timescales provided by the Green Mayor.

One says: “Can we sign off the PR and engagement so we can publish first thing tomorrow following Council (subject to anything happening between now and then that causes us to pause)”.

To which a colleague replies: “The survey looks good to me, although I’ve not yet had any direct feedback from the Mayor or Cllr Mathys (the Mayor was unable to open the link yesterday). The Mayor is keen that we make a decision at November Full Council if possible; I’ve explained that this will probably be too tight, but I would suggest we conclude the engagement on 7 Oct (avoiding the Jewish holidays, and still allowing 10 weeks), which would leave the window open to a November decision dependent on how many responses we receive and how long it takes to complete the EqlA etc?”

The FOI request which unearthed the correspondence was submitted by Tory councillor Elliot Keck. He told the JC: “It’s crystal clear that the Mayor of Hackney had no intention of engaging in a serious process when it came to the twinning arrangement with Haifa, she simply wanted to force this through as a political stunt as quickly as possible.”

He continued: “Hackney Greens are using the council not to improve the communities they represent, but simply as an instrument to further their deranged obsession with Israel. They don’t care what message it sends to the local Jewish community, as long as they get their five minutes in the spotlight.”

The revelation was also criticised by campaign group Labour Against Antisemitism.

A spokesperson for the group told the JC: “In her desperation to push ahead with de-twinning, Zoe Garbett ignored advice to allow a longer timescale, resulting in October 7 being set as the deadline. It was an offensive choice of date. It angered and upset the local Jewish community as well as those outside it, and showed a staggering lack of care and empathy for everyone affected by the atrocities of that day.”

The Green Party’s local election manifesto in 2026 promised to push ahead with de-twinning from Haifa “at the earliest opportunity”, with its manifesto claiming that “In Haifa, Palestinian people live under occupation and apartheid by the Israeli state; this is not a city that reflects Hackney’s values”.

City of Haifa (Getty Images)Getty Images

The de-twinning measure was widely criticised, including by Jewish communal organisations and opposition parties in Hackney.

In a letter to Garbett earlier this month, Haifa’s mayor Yona Yahav blasted her decision to pursue de-twinning, telling his Hackney counterpart: “It is regrettable that Hackney appears to have allowed itself to be influenced by campaigns aimed at delegitimising Israel, driven by external political agendas and the spread of misleading information.

“This decision also comes against the troubling backdrop of rising antisemitism in the United Kingdom and an increasingly polarised political climate. In this context, it is reasonable to question whether the proposed termination reflects a fair and independent assessment of our longstanding partnership, or whether broader political considerations have influenced a decision that risks deepening divisions between communities.”

Yahav proudly defended Haifa as an example of “shared society” between Jews, Muslims, Christians and Bahais.

“People from different communities work side by side, lead together and share responsibility for shaping the city’s future. These are not merely declarations of coexistence. They are the everyday reality of a city in which people of different faiths, backgrounds and identities share responsibilities, opportunities and a common future,” he continued.

In a further scathing comment, he added: “It is therefore difficult to reconcile Hackney’s stated commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion with a decision to sever ties with a city that works every day to uphold these very principles”, adding: “Hackney’s decision regarding this historic relationship is its own. Haifa’s values, and our commitment to living by them, will remain unchanged.”

The Mayor of Hackney and Hackney council have been contacted for comment. A Hackney council spokesperson said: “’The records show that as soon as Mayor Garbett became aware of the October 7th deadline, she requested that it be changed. Any suggestion otherwise is a misrepresentation.”