Barnet Council has passed a motion to twin with Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, months after Hackney Council severed its ties with the northern Israeli port. The motion was approved at a council meeting after being put forward by the Conservatives, with all but two of the party's councillors voting in favour. Labour councillors abstained, and the sole Green councillor opposed it.
Haifa's significance and the twinning context
Haifa lies within Israel's sovereign territory established in 1948, rather than in the occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip. It is regarded as a unique hub of Arab-Israeli coexistence, where Jewish Israelis and Arabs who identify as Palestinian can live, work, and study side-by-side. This complex identity has made the city a focus of international interest.
Town twinning is a social agreement between two cities aimed at building working relationships and commercial links. Twin towns often engage in school exchanges, shared events, or community visits, and may encourage local trade and business networking.
Background to Hackney's decision
Haifa had been twinned with Hackney for more than 50 years, though the relationship had been dormant since 2019. In July, newly appointed Green Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, wrote to Haifa to end the arrangement. Campaigners behind the "de-twinning" motion argued that maintaining links with a major Israeli military port was "incompatible" with the borough's values during the current Gaza conflict.
Garbett was criticised for initially giving the mayor of Haifa until October 7 to respond, the same day as the third anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks in Israel. She later apologised for her "deeply regretful oversight" and changed the deadline to October 14.
Barnet's existing partnerships and future plans
Barnet already has twinning links with Chaville in France, Pokhara in Nepal, Siegen-Wittgenstein in Germany, and Montclair in the USA, as well as an existing relationship with the Israeli city of Ramat Gan. Conservative councillor Raffy Lachter told the Jewish Chronicle: "My vision is to officially twin Barnet with the city of Haifa. But what I'm most excited for is what the ties can achieve, like meaningful cooperation in healthcare, education, and research."
Lachter noted that Haifa has two universities, while Barnet hosts Middlesex University, and compared Barnet General Hospital with Rambam Hospital in Haifa. He said he wanted to replicate the medical exchanges that previously took place between Homerton Hospital in Hackney and Israeli professionals. He added: "Haifa is the most diverse city in Israel. It's a multicultural city. It's a city where Arabs and Jews rub along and work together, so we thought it was appropriate."
Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, condemned Hackney's decision to sever ties earlier this month, saying: "Hackney's decision regarding this historic relationship is its own. Haifa's values, and our commitment to living by them, will remain unchanged." The Standard has contacted Barnet Council for comment.
