Overview

• Brent Council is moving ahead with its May vote to twin with Nablus in order to promote cultural, social, economic and educational exchanges.
• Leader Muhammed Butt has launched an international partnering protocol that empowers the council to review or annul the agreement if it fails to promote peace and mutual understanding.
• Jewish community representatives met this week to express fears that the twinning could undermine cohesion and reflect sectarian bias.
• An online petition with more than 2,300 signatures and an internal equalities impact assessment warned the initiative may cause emotional harm and compound antisemitism.
• At a July 7 meeting, Reform Party member Ian Collier’s claim that Nablus is a “hotbed of militancy” was met with boos and cries of “lies” from the public gallery.