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Jody McIntyre@jodymcintyre_ · Apr 13, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: I have uncovered evidence suggesting that Labour Together, the think tank of Morgan McSweeney fame, is now…

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Summary

A Twitter investigation claims that Jonathan Kestenbaum, a Labour Party peer and board member of Labour Together, has connections to the Israeli military and pro-Israel lobbying organizations that are allegedly not disclosed on his Wikipedia page or in recent media coverage. The thread traces his involvement with the IDF, BICOM, pro-Israel donors, and various Labour figures, suggesting potential undisclosed influence on the party's direction.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    EXCLUSIVE: I have uncovered evidence suggesting that Labour Together, the think tank of Morgan McSweeney fame, is now being led by a former IDF soldier. This information does not appear on his Wikipedia page or in ANY recent articles. I cannot believe Labour have hidden this:🧵

  2. #2

    In November 2010, a single paragraph in the Jewish Chronicle described Jonathan Kestenbaum as “an ex-IDF soldier [and] holder of the Israel army’s ‘outstanding soldier award’”. The claim has never been repeated since. Kestenbaum now sits on the board of Labour Together.

  3. #3

    Jonathan Kestenbaum is also noted as “a former mazkir of Bnei Akiva”. On the website of their UK branch, Bnei Akiva define their ideology as “a religious Zionist worldview, actively seeking to be involved in the development of Medinat Yisrael.” Kestenbaum is now a Labour peer.

  4. #4

    Jonathan Kestenbaum was nominated to the House of Lords by the Labour Party leadership in 2010. His Wikipedia page references his business achievements and political affiliations. But there is no mention of his stint in the Israeli military.

  5. #5

    From 2003-10, Kestenbaum was a director of BICOM, described by the Guardian as “Britain’s most active pro-Israeli lobbying organisation”. Former BICOM employees include Labour peer Ruth Smeeth and Lee Petar, a funder of Labour MP Luke Akehurst.

  6. #6

    Convicted fraudster Gerald Ronson and Wes Streeting donor David Menton have both funded BICOM, which was founded by billionaire Poju Zabludowicz. Zabludowic inherited from his father Shlomo, “an arms dealer who made a fortune out of his close relations with the Israeli state.”

  7. #7

    Jonathan Kestenbaum also enjoyed a cosy relationship with former Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor. Leaked correspondence between the pair revealed an e-mail with the subject line: “From London with love”. Kestenbaum later tried to secure Prosor a job at BP.

  8. #8

    A further set of leaked diaries revealed that in 2024, then Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely had brunch at Jonathan Kestenbaum’s home. Hotovely’s diaries also revealed meetings with Stuart Roden, another Labour Party lobbyist. Last January, Roden gave Labour Together £100,000.

  9. #9

    From 2008-22, Kestenbaum was Chief Operating Officer at RIT Capital Partners, formerly known as the Rothschild Investment Trust. RIT’s founder, Jacob Rothschild, was the chair of the family’s Israel-based Yad Hanadiv foundation from 1989 until his death in 2024.

  10. #10

    Yad Hanadiv was “instrumental” in constructing the Israeli Parliament and Supreme Court buildings, and more recently entered into a direct partnership with the Israeli government to work on further projects. Here, Jacob Rothschild is photographed with Tony Blair + Trevor Chinn.

  11. #11

    In 2010, an “entity connected to Jacob Rothschild” purchased a 5% stake in Genie Energy. Jacob was appointed to Genie’s board alongside Rupert Murdoch and Dick Cheney. In 2013, the Israeli state awarded Genie exclusive gas + oil exploration rights in the occupied Golan Heights.

  12. #12

    Jonathan Kestenbaum previously served as chief executive of the United Jewish Israel Appeal. UJIA’s “rite of passage programmes” have previously included stays in illegal settlements. Ex-Labour Together director and funder Trevor Chinn is their joint president.

  13. #13

    Labour Party megadonor Gary Lubner is one of UJIA’s funders. Lubner has given over £6 million to the party under Keir Starmer and financed a slate of Labour MPs that included Imogen Walker, Morgan McSweeney’s wife. He has also donated more than £1.8 million to Labour Together.

  14. #14

    Labour’s current Courts Minister, Sarah Sackman, has been funded by both Gary Lubner and Jonathan Kestenbaum. Sackman is a key supporter of David Lammy’s proposals to curb jury trials. She was also financed directly by Labour Together.

  15. #15

    Jonathan Kestenbaum and Trevor Chinn both personally donated to Keir Starmer’s 2020 Labour leadership campaign. In 2013, Chinn said: “I’ve spent my entire life working for Israel.” Morgan McSweeney provided the candidate to take over the party. Lobbyists provided the funds.

  16. #16

    Most evidence of Jonathan Kestenbaum’s time in the IDF seems to have been scrubbed from the internet, but I found one source still out there: a 1988 academic journal entry. In his diary, Kestenbaum writes about a “brutal” curfew imposed to break the spirit of a Palestinian town.

  17. #17

    The article I discovered states that Jonathan Kestenbaum’s IDF battalion was charged with bringing the Palestinian town “to heel”: “Electricity was cut off...Outsiders, especially journalists, were banned.” Kestenbaum now sits on the Labour Party benches in the House of Lords.

  18. #18

    I dedicate MANY hours of hard work and diligent research to producing these investigations. I may be a one-man team, but I am determined to bring you the stories that matter. If you value my work, please consider making a contribution: chuffed.org/project/175916…