A Jewish councillor has accused the Greens and Labour of inflammatory remarks and called for “peace and harmony” after a volatile debate over Israel.
Cllr Michael Desmond took part in the debate, which was held on 23 October, during a Hackney Council ‘extraordinary meeting’ to consider ending its 57-year twinning with Haifa, a city in Northern Israel.
The council had previously run hospital training exchanges between Homerton and Rambam hospitals in Hackney and Haifa, respectively, and holds some investments for its pension fund in Israeli companies. The de-twinning motion had cross-party support.
What followed was an acrimonious session where councillors used the f-word and other expletives while protesters in the public gallery shouted over proceedings.
Cllr Desmond criticised his colleagues’ behaviour less than a month after the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester: “I’d say to [Labour members] that they shouldn’t inflame opinion, that they should be cautious in what they say, and also they should respect the situation that the Jewish community in the UK finds itself in.”
A Green Party councillor, Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, exclaimed at the meeting: “It’s not fucking okay!” and said that the symbolic twinning with Haifa was tantamount to the council supporting Israel “murdering innocent people”. He subsequently apologised.
Cllr Desmond said: “The Greens made a fool of themselves at that meeting,” adding: “It was totally unnecessary for [Cllr Binnie-Lubbock] to become so venomous and play to the gallery, it inflames passions.”
Zack Polanski, the national leader of the Greens, refused to condemn the outburst, writing on X: “My comment? I’m proud of Green councillors who are doing everything they can to bring attention to stopping the genocide.” Cllr Binnie-Lubbock reposted the comment on X.
Cllr Desmond said: “Muslims are our cousins, we need to live in peace and harmony. For those who create hatred and bitterness, they don’t understand that to achieve peace and reconciliation, you need a balanced view.
“Just because we’re Zionists, i.e we simply support the right of Israel to exist, doesn’t mean, of course, that we’re keen supporters of Netanyahu […] those of us on the left would rather see a more moderate and leftwing government in Israel,” He added: “But it’s up to electors in Israel, not for us to tell them.”
Livio Reichenbach is a student Journalist at City, St. George's writing for the Hackney Post