UK city to form friendship with West Bank town
Getty ImagesA UK council has agreed to form a friendship link with a town in the occupied West Bank.
Portsmouth City Council chose to build the bond with Birzeit, north of the Palestinians' administrative capital in the region, Ramallah.
The decision was made as a way to balance its sister city relationship with Haifa, Israel, which has been in place since 1963.
Councillor George Madgwick criticised the proposal, saying he was speaking up for "common sense" and for residents who are "sick and tired" of the local authority being "dragged into faraway political rows".
He added: "Ask any Portsmouth resident what they care about right now, and I can tell you, it's not twinning with a town in a war zone 2,000 miles away.
"It's fixing broken pavements. It's getting the bins collected on time. It's sorting out the chaos in our housing system, our schools, and the state of our NHS."
Council officers agreed to link with a location in the occupied West Bank back in December 2023.
They chose Birzeit based on expert advice, saying the town shared interests with Portsmouth in areas like education and outreach and suggested there could be chances to work together with universities, museums, and religious groups.
Councillor Madgwick described the decision as a political statement and not a cultural or community connection.
Lord Mayor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said Portsmouth had a "particular responsibility" as the home of D-Day – the Allied invasion that helped free Europe from Nazi control during World War Two.
He added: "I think out of anywhere in this country we have a responsibility to remember and to stand on the side of history with Churchill and others who said we have to stand up against tyranny.
"I've written to the mayor of Haifa to express our condolences for the losses of life that they've had but if we run away from places because there is conflict, we are cowards."
The twinning advisory group agreed to move the plan forward. It will next be discussed by the council's cabinet.
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