Wikipedia

Draft:David Mencer

David Mencer
Spokesman for the office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu
Incumbent
Assumed office
2024
Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu
Preceded byEylon Levy
Councillor of Barnet London Borough Council for The Hale
In office
2004–2006
Director of Labour Friends of Israel
In office
1998–2004
Personal details
Born1972 (age 53–54)
United Kingdom
PartyLabour (1995–2015)
OccupationLobbyist, spokesman, public relations
Known for
Work as a spokesman for Israel during the Gaza War

David Mencer is a British-born public relations specialist, lobbyist, spokesperson, and former Labour Party official. He served as director of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) from 1998 to 2004 and was elected as a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Barnet. In the mid-2010s he emigrated to Israel and later became a spokesperson for the office of Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, during the Gaza war.

Early life and education

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Mencer was born in the United Kingdom (UK) and is Jewish. He attended Hasmonean High School in London, a Jewish secondary school.[1] He spent a year in Israel studying Middle Eastern history and politics and volunteered briefly in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War. After returning to the UK, Mencer studied Politics and Government at London Guildhall University.[1]

Political career

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In 1995, Mencer began working in British politics as a researcher in the House of Commons. He was a research assistant for Labour Shadow Transport Minister Joan Walley, and later worked for Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, who chaired the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.[1][2] He served as Dunwoody's electoral agent in her 1997 United Kingdom general election campaign, helping to increase her majority in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.[1][2]

In July 1998, Mencer became the director of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), a pro-Israel lobby group within the Labour Party.[3] He held this position until 2004.[4] In that role he coordinated LFI's activities, organized visits to Israel for Labour politicians, and helped draft speeches and articles for Labour government ministers on Middle East topics.[5] He also advised Gerald Ronson, chairman of the Community Security Trust, on Jewish community security issues during this period.[5]

While still serving as LFI director, Mencer entered local politics. He was elected to Barnet London Borough Council in the February 2004 by-election for the Hale ward.[6] Mencer later worked as campaign director for Labour MP David Lammy's bid in the 2015 London Labour Party mayoral selection.[7][8]

Public relations career

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After leaving frontline politics, Mencer moved into public relations (PR) and communications, including directing two of the biggest accounts for the PR agency Weber Shandwick.[5] He also represented and advised the UK government's Central Office of Information.[5] He later founded his own firm, Raphael Consulting, which provided strategic advice on public affairs, corporate communications and government relations.[9] In 2014, he was registered as a lobbyist for Maitland Political with the Association of Professional Political Consultants register in 2014.[10]

Move to Israel

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Mencer left the Labour Party in 2015 after more than twenty years of membership. He said he resigned "with real regret" because of Jeremy Corbyn being elected as Labour's leader. He cited concerns about Corbyn's views on Israel and alleged antisemitism, saying that listening to Corbyn's explanations of his views made him feel "very uncomfortable" and gave him the impression that Corbyn "doesn't like my community".[11][12] Mencer has called both Corbyn and former Labour politician Ken Livingstone "Jew hater".[13][9]

Mencer has said he and his family immigrated to Israel in 2015 on "the very day Corbyn was elected leader".[13] He has said that concerns about antisemitism in the UK and a desire to secure a safe future for his children influenced the decision. In 2021, he said that his family "chose to move to Israel", now saw it as home, and had not regretted the move.[14]

Israeli government spokesman

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Mencer became a spokesman in the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, during the Gaza war following the dismissal of his predecessor in the role, Eylon Levy.[15][16] In this capacity he regularly gives press conferences and interviews on behalf of the Israeli government. Mencer has appeared on British and international news outlets, and has defended controversial Israeli military actions and challenged reports of Palestinian casualties.[17][18] He has gained attention and criticism for his confrontational interview style,[19][16][18] which has led to heated exchanges with prominent journalists such as Krishnan Guru-Murthy,[20][21] Nick Robinson,[22][23] and Mark Austin.[24][25] Mencer has called allegations Israel committed genocide in the Gaza War baseless, antisemitic, and a form of "Holocaust inversion".[26][27]

During an August 2024 interview on Today, he accused host Mishal Husain of warranting a "pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award" after she questioned him on reports of Israel abusing prisoners and the Al-Tabaeen school attack.[18][16][28] The National Union of Journalists subsequently condemned his conduct as "abusive" and "hectoring".[16] Mencer has consistently denied the Gaza humanitarian crisis and Gaza Strip famine, prominently stating there was "no famine in Gaza, but rather a famine of truth".[29][30] He has argued that any food shortages were "man-made" by Hamas to weaponise suffering[31][29][32] rather than the result of an Israeli blockade and asserted that the UN aid programme in Gaza was a "billion-dollar racket".[32][23]

Personal life

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Mencer is married and has children. After moving to Israel, he settled in Tel Aviv with his family.[13]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "LABOUR FRIENDS OF ISRAEL". Labour Friends of Israel. Archived from the original on June 4, 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Farage's finances become the talk of Westminster". The New World. 19 August 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Friends of Israel director to stand in Hale ward by-election". Times series. 31 December 2003. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Walker, James (18 October 2024). "Ex-Labour Friends of Israel boss claims images of burning Gazans 'fabrication'". The National. Archived from the original on 6 Aug 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Biography". Raphael Consulting. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  6. ↑ Spender, Tom (6 February 2004). "Labour victorious in Hale". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  7. ↑ Mcevoy, John; Miller, Phil (20 August 2025). "David Lammy held off the books meeting with pro-Israel lobbyist". Declassified UK. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Rickett, Oscar (1 February 2025). "Lammy pitch on Sudan raises questions about UK ties to Israel and UAE". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Shaviv, Miriam (4 May 2012). "Livingstone narrowly loses London mayor race, but his strategy brings long-term worries for UK Jews". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 14 Jan 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Register for 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014" (PDF). Association of Professional Political Consultants. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 Jun 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Sherwood, Harriet (17 September 2015). "UK Jewish leaders seek clarification on Jeremy Corbyn's policies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 Dec 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  12. ↑ Epstein, Angela (21 September 2015). "Why Jeremy Corbyn's rise makes British Jews afraid". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 Aug 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Liddle, Rod (3 August 2019). "The British Jews who have moved to Israel because of rising anti-semitism at home". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Mencer, David (18 Oct 2021). "The Blogs: Wakey wakey British Jews". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 19 July 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Goldbart, Max (12 August 2024). ""The Contempt For The Work Of Journalists Was Laid Bare": NUJ Slams Israeli Government Spokesman For "Abusive" & Hypocritical Interview With BBC's Mishal Husain". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 Dec 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Mulla, Imran (13 August 2024). "NUJ slams Israeli government spokesman Mencer for 'abusive' attack on BBC's Mishal Husain". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 14 Jan 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "'No civilians in area' when airstrike hit Gaza school-turned-shelter, Israel claims - after charity says more than 100 people killed". Sky News. 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 13 Jan 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 Sherwood, Harriet (12 August 2024). "Israel spokesperson accuses BBC's Mishal Husain of pro-Palestinian bias". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 Jun 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Games, Stephen (25 July 2025). "The Blogs: Want to wreck Israel's case? Send in a spokesman". The Times Of Israel. Archived from the original on 18 Feb 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (3 June 2025). "Israel spokesman blames Hamas for killings at Gaza aid sites". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 6 Oct 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Holly Patrick (3 June 2025). "Israeli official accuses Krishnan Guru-Murthy of 'advocating for Hamas'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 Jun 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  22. ↑ Nicholson, Kate (25 July 2025). "Israeli Spokesperson Accuses BBC's Nick Robinson Of Lying About Gaza In Furious Row Live On Air". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 5 Sep 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  23. 1 2 Bodkin, Henry (25 July 2025). "Israel gives tour of UN aid left 'rotting' in Gaza". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 Jan 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "Israeli government denies claims about famine in Gaza in clash with Sky News presenter". Sky News. 12 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 Nov 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  25. ↑ Hauser, Jenny (25 July 2025). "'There is no famine in Gaza, there is a famine of the truth': Fact-checking Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer". Eurovision News Spotlight. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "Israel rejects Amnesty genocide claim as 'no surprise' and 'fake news'". Sky News. 5 December 2024. Archived from the original on 29 March 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  27. ↑ Westfall, Sammy (16 September 2025). "U.N. commission finds that Israel committed genocide in Gaza". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  28. ↑ Penna, Dominic (12 August 2024). "Israel accuses BBC presenter Mishal Husain of pro-Palestinian bias". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Gaza faces 'man-made' mass starvation due to Israeli aid blockade, World Health Organization says". Sky News. 5 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 Jan 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  30. ↑ Malekian, Somayeh; Atta, Nasser; Ostaz, Diaa; El-Bawab, Nadine (July 23, 2025). "More than 100 aid groups warn of 'mass starvation' in Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas". ABC News. Archived from the original on 10 March 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  31. ↑ Nader, Emir (24 July 2025). "'We know we might get killed, yet we still go there to get flour'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 Nov 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  32. 1 2 "Israel says it's distributing aid in Gaza, so why are people starving?". Al Jazeera. 26 Jul 2025. Archived from the original on 22 March 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
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