Brent Council in north-west London voted in May to partner with Nablus, following a period of public engagement that included a petition signed by more than 2,000 residents.
Nablus is located in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and the decision has sparked mixed reactions in the community.
The BBC reported that Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt wrote to residents saying the decision was “not taken lightly”, emphasising that the move was not an endorsement of any political group or administration in Nablus.
Mr Butt said: “Rather, it reflects Brent’s humanitarian values and a desire to connect with ordinary people in another part of the world who, like us, strive for peace, education, dignity, and progress for the next generation.”
The council’s decision came in the context of ongoing conflict in the region.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed more than 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 hostages.
Since then, more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Cllr Ihtesham Afzal, chair of Brent’s Labour group, described the twinning as a long-standing project.
He said: “This has not been triggered over what happened in the last couple of years, it’s been a long time coming.”
He said the partnership would focus on cultural and educational exchange.
Mr Afzal said: “We’ll be doing cultural exchanges, sharing art, history, culture, tradition, poetry, language along with architecture.”
He clarified that no council funds or staff time would be used for the scheme, describing it as a community-led project.
Brent has the second-largest Arab diaspora in England and Wales, with 5.3 per cent of its residents identifying as Arab, according to the 2021 Census.
Mr Afzal described the project as inclusive.
He said: “This is a non-exclusionary project.
“This is showcasing what we’re about in Brent; we have Muslim people, Christian people, Jewish people, Hindu, Sikh – we have everybody across the board.
“We are a melting pot.”
However, not all residents support the decision.
Conservative councillor Michael Maurice said he was “disappointed” with the outcome and believed it could pose safety risks.
He said: “I’m not opposed to twinning with any particular cities, but I think Nablus is particularly dangerous.”
Mr Maurice said the twinning arrangement would typically involve exchange visits, which he believed would not be safe for Brent residents.
He said: “In other words, we will go to them and stay with them and take part in their programme and they can come to us and take part in our programmes but it would be very dangerous for us to go there.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently advises against all but essential travel to the area outside of Nablus.
Some Jewish residents also expressed concern.
Ian Collier, who started a petition against the decision, said: “We don’t believe it’s in the interest of some elements of the community and it does put a number of people in the community at physical harm.”
Others, however, took a different view.
Retired GP Jonathan Fluxman said the twinning could foster understanding.
He said: “We are all human beings.
“We all share a common humanity, and what we need to do is interact with each other and understand each other.”
Brent has also been twinned with South Dublin County Council since 1997.
