Convicted terrorist and Hebron Mayor Taysuh Abu Sneineh was invited to speak to the Preston City Council in a meeting to advance a friendship arrangement between the two cities, the Jewish Manchester Council of Greater Manchester and Region (JRC) said in a letter last Monday, urging the local British politicians not to engage with the controversial figure.
The JRC said in its letter to the Preston City Council that it was “beyond comprehension” that the local authority would invite Sneineh, who was one of four Palestinians behind a 1980 terrorist attack on yeshiva students that left six wounded and 16 dead. Sneineh was released in a prisoner swap three years later and was elected Hebron mayor through the Fatah party in 2017, but the JRC explained that he had “never shown remorse for his crimes and continues to promote extremist rhetoric.”
“By extending this invitation, the council has displayed appalling judgment that risks bringing Preston into disrepute,” read the letter. “The decision will be seen as an insult to the victims of terrorism and an affront to democracy.”
Preston City Council to engage, despite Hebron's political leadership
The Preston City Council told the JRC in a Friday response that while it did not endorse the views of Hebron’s political leadership, it would not agree with the request not to engage with Sneineh.
“We will seek to engage in a practical dialogue with the mayor and his team to progress the friendship arrangement,” said the council. “The leader of the Council is working with colleagues to demonstrate our support for a viable state of Palestine coexisting alongside the State of Israel with safety, security, and prosperity for both countries.”
The council argued that other cities and towns across Europe, including Derby, had already established such partnerships with Hebron.
The Friday letter also noted that the council had condemned the October 7 massacre, and had a history of strongly opposing antisemitism that included working with Jewish members of the “Show Racism the Red Card initiative” to counter prejudice in Preston.
City Council leader Matthew Brown also told The Jerusalem Post on Friday that the pursuit of friendship with Hebron was in the spirit of peace and in support of the people of the region, and was not about endorsing any individual.
“We do not endorse any individual and continue to condemn intolerance and violence of any kind,” Brown said. “We have no intelligence to suggest that there is a direct threat posed by any party in this friendship, which is being pursued in the spirit of friendship and tolerance.”
The JRC last Monday also reiterated past arguments about friendship agreements and other actions that could be seen as taking a side in the Middle East Conflict, a matter complicated further when considering Sneineh’s history.
In March, when the council first decided to explore a friendship agreement with Hebron, the local body said that it would be open to developing a future friendship with a town or city in Israel.
When the city passed the recommendation to enter the arrangement, Councillor Nweeda Khan acknowledged the complexity involved in the proposal, but the council felt that it was owed to “our local communities to recognize the plight of people in the Middle East caught up in the current conflict.”
Brown also said at the time that the arrangement was not just a symbolic gesture, but would see Preston promote peace and offer support and aid.
“We will promote the need for peace to prevail and hopefully, after the conflict in the region ends, we can arrange visits to both Palestine and Preston to promote greater understanding, lasting peace, and friendship for all,” said Brown.
Controversy about Sneineh has not been limited to his past terrorist actions but also to a 2022 policy offering bounties for the capture or killing of stray dogs. The Bethlehem Animal and Environment Association condemned the “bloody campaign” which saw animals shot, hanged, abused, and run over by cars. Sneineh later explained that his idea was to “stir stagnant water” in order to find a solution to the problem.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.