Portsmouth to move forward with friendship link to Palestinian town
Portsmouth City Council has agreed to go ahead with plans to form a friendship link with Birzeit, a town in the West Bank, Palestine.
The plan follows a decision made in December 2023, when the council said it would look into building ties with a Palestinian location. This was seen as a way to balance Portsmouth’s sister city relationship with Haifa, Israel, which has been in place since 1963.
Council officers chose Birzeit—north of Ramallah and known for its respected university and cultural museum—based on expert advice. They said the town shared interests with Portsmouth in areas like education and outreach. There could be chances to work together with universities, museums, and religious groups, especially as Birzeit is mostly Christian.
Councillor George Madgwick criticised the proposal. He said he was speaking up for “common sense” and for residents who are “sick and tired” of the council being “dragged into faraway political rows”.
“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.”
He said any link between Portsmouth and Palestine would be more of a political statement than a cultural or community connection.
Councillor Cal Corkery, who first suggested a Palestinian link, agreed with Cllr Madgwick that it was a political statement. He said it was “one of solidarity with people facing genocide”.
“That’s not to say we’re choosing one side or the other - we have a very longstanding relationship with Haifa. I haven’t heard one person come up to me and say that we should end that link or that it’s somehow damaging.”
“Common sense depends on how you define it, who you speak to, it depends what your values are.
“The common sense of the people that I speak to is that where there are people being oppressed and marginalised we should do everything we can in our power to support and empower them.”
Councillor Russell Simpson raised concerns about choosing a small town like Birzeit instead of a city. He also pointed to recent bombings between Israel and Iran, saying this could destablalise the area.
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Councillor and new Lord Mayor Gerald Vernon-Jackson reminded everyone that the idea of linking with a Palestinian place had already been agreed back in December 2023.
He went further, saying Portsmouth had a “particular responsibility” as the home of D-Day - the Allied invasion that helped free Europe from Nazi control during World War II.
“I think it’s incumbent on us, probably more than anywhere else, to remember what D-Day was about.”
He mentioned a speech by former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who in 1938 called the crisis in Czechoslovakia a "quarrel in a far away country, between people of whom we know nothing".
Cllr Vernon-Jackson added: “We know what that appeasement led to.
“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.”
Councillor Yinka Adeniran supported the idea and said twinning can help bring about political discussion and efforts for peace.
Councillor Charlotte Gerada responded to “the idea that residents don’t care about Gaza and all residents care about pavements”.
“Residents don’t just care about pavements, they’re not one-dimensional, residents care about what is happening in the world.
“There are a lot of people that are absolutely horrified at the moment at the scenes we see everyday in the news.”
She compared her experience as a new mother to women in Gaza who are giving birth “in non-medical settings, with no pain relief, no food” and whose children are suffering from starvation “right now in front of our eyes”.
“This is the absolute minimum that we can do is an act of solidarity, and yes residents care about it.”
The twinning advisory group agreed to move the plan forward. It will next be discussed by the council’s cabinet.