Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party displayed a campaign billboard in Tel Aviv comparing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to leaders of Iran and Hezbollah. The billboard features Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem.
The billboard highlights the intensifying political rhetoric surrounding the Gaza conflict and its impact on international relations, particularly between the U.S. and Israel. It underscores the deep divisions in political discourse and the use of campaign tactics that draw parallels between political opponents and designated terrorist organizations.
Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party has displayed a campaign billboard in Tel Aviv that likens New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah. The poster features Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, with the slogan "They want Netanyahu to lose … Don’t let them win."
The billboard appears amid an escalating war of words between Netanyahu and Mamdani. Mamdani has been a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza, calling Netanyahu a "war criminal" who "belonged in The Hague" and urging US authorities to enforce an international criminal court warrant for his arrest.
Netanyahu responded by accusing Mamdani of "fomenting hate" and potentially jeopardizing bipartisan support for Israel in the U.S. He also noted that Mamdani is more popular among American Jews than he is, according to recent polling. The prime minister's office also recently described the UK as "the Islamic republic of Britain."
Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition is trailing in opinion polls, shared a photo of the billboard and a video of Mamdani's comments on his social media. The dispute between the two figures occurs as U.S.-Israeli talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal are reportedly stalling.
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