What are your thoughts about the proposed twinning between Worcester and Gaza?

I appreciate it will be extremely difficult but lets consider what it means.

This is an ideal opportunity to show the public that Twinning is not only about "Council Jollies" at "Taxpayers expense" as so many mistakenly believe, obviously those are the people who do not get involved in Town Twinning, or they would know better.

This is an ideal opportunity to show such cynics that Town Twinning is about communities both helping and understanding each other. It may be difficult for Worcester to actually do anything to help the Citizens of Gaza due to Foreign Office regulations, however, even a moral support could go a long way to support the citizens of Gaza in their time of need.

The "Portal" is not in any way political and does not take sides in any political situations, our only interest is in supporting communities around the world to work together and to understand each other, therefore, rather than fighting over their differences, they should, through understanding, rejoice in their differences and embrace them.

There has recently been a move in America to "twin" Mosques and Cynagogues for exactly that purpose, and I believe that the concept is about to commence in Britain.

I personally welcome such initiatives and through their work we may yet see a reduction in the world tensions and a chance of peace.

I welcome the initiative of Worcester Twinning Association and hope that they will be able, in some small way to "make a difference" in tensions of this world.

The "Portal" itself is, as I said earlier in this post, non political, but I must also point out that the views above are my own personal views.

I think that Worcester has made a brave if contentious move and I commend them on humanitarian principles.

Alan