Hackney, a borough in east London, is asking residents until October 14 whether it should end its twinning arrangement with Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city. The link goes back to 1968.
The Green Party-led council voted on July 28 to end the partnership in principle. It cited its values and human rights commitments, amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Councillors will make a final decision once the consultation and a review of the borough’s twinning policy are complete.
How town twinning began and what it involves
Twin cities, also known as sister cities, are places in different countries bound by formal friendship agreements. Such ties can support school exchanges, cultural events and civic visits, although many fall dormant over time.
Modern twinning expanded after World War II as a way to rebuild trust and encourage peace. Coventry and Stalingrad, now Volgograd, both badly damaged in the war, formed a friendship link in 1944, often cited as the first modern city-twinning relationship.
The US city of St Paul and Japan’s Nagasaki agreed a sister-city partnership in 1955. Its aim was to encourage reconciliation after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.
Councils revisit overseas ties after recent events
Because twinning is often symbolic, ending a link can give a council a way to signal its position. Several UK councils suspended or cut ties with Russian cities after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Prague also ended its relationship with Beijing in 2019, amid a dispute involving Taiwan. The Czech capital then set up a partnership with Taipei. Hackney’s move is the most recent case of a city revisiting its international connections.
