Overview
- The council is scheduled to vote Tuesday to terminate Hackney’s twinning declaration with Haifa and to launch a wider review of twinning relationships dating back to 1968.
- The Green-led administration, which won control of Hackney in May and holds a clear majority on the council, made de-twinning from Haifa a manifesto pledge and says the move reflects borough values.
- Campaigners who pushed for the split point to a 2024 petition, sustained local pressure and a UN fact-finding report that alleged breaches of international law as key reasons for ending the link.
- Opponents including Jewish communal leaders and some former local officials argue the measure risks harming practical exchanges such as hospital links and overlooks Haifa’s mixed Arab-Jewish character.
- The decision comes as part of a broader debate over civic ties with Israeli cities, raises the prospect of local divestment scrutiny, and could prompt other councils to reassess twinning arrangements.