British city to Haifa mayor: We will cancel the twin cities agreement

The mayor of Hackney, London, Zoe Garbett, informed Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav of the city council's intention to terminate the twin cities agreement. The move, led by the Green Party, was justified by UN reports on genocide and incompatibility with council values. The deadline set for a response, October 7, sparked outrage in the British Jewish community and was changed to October 5. Haifa municipality is consulting with the Foreign Ministry.

The mayor of Hackney, London, Zoe Garbett, informed Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav yesterday (Wednesday) in a letter of the city council's intention, led by her, to terminate the twin cities agreement between the two cities, and requested his response by October 7. This morning, consultations are taking place between Haifa municipality and the Foreign Ministry regarding a response to the letter. There is concern that a hesitant or aggressive response could lead to a snowball effect of severed relations. Hackney is a borough in East London that has been governed since May by the Green Party. Garbett led the move in accordance with the party platform. In the letter, she wrote that the connection with Haifa "no longer reflects the council's priorities," and noted that in light of UN reports on genocide, maintaining ties with Israel contradicts Hackney's anti-racist values. Two days ago, the council voted to begin proceedings to withdraw from the agreement with Haifa signed in 1968. The date October 7 sparked outrage in the British Jewish community, and the city council apologized and changed it to October 5, claiming it was a "mistake." Critics of the move emphasized that Haifa is a mixed Jewish-Arab city considered a model of coexistence.