In the ancient theater of political survival, a billboard in Tel Aviv has placed a New York City mayor alongside the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah — not because the comparison holds, but because it serves a purpose. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, trailing in polls ahead of October elections, has chosen Zohran Mamdani as a symbol of external threat, responding to the mayor's calls to enforce an ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly. What the billboard reveals is less about Mamdani and more about the fragility of a government under pressure from many directions a
Netanyahu's Likud compares NYC mayor Mamdani to Iran, Hezbollah leaders on campaign billboard
When you're losing ground in polls, enemies become useful.
Mark
Why does Netanyahu's party think comparing Mamdani to Hezbollah and Iran's leadership helps them in an Israeli election?
Mimi
It's not really about convincing Israelis that Mamdani is a terrorist. It's about painting anyone who criticizes the war as an enemy of the state. When you're losing ground in the polls, you need to make the argument that your opponents aren't just wrong—they're dangerous.
Mark
But the polling shows Mamdani is more popular with American Jews than Netanyahu. Doesn't that undermine the message?
Mimi
It does, which is probably why Netanyahu posted the billboard on social media himself. He's trying to control the narrative by showing his base that he's fighting back against critics. The numbers don't matter if you can make it look like you're under siege.
Mark
Is this really about Gaza policy, or is it personal?
Mimi
It started as policy—Mamdani ran on opposing the war. But once Mamdani called him a war criminal and pushed for an ICC arrest warrant, it became personal. Netanyahu can't ignore that without looking weak to his coalition.
Mark
What does the Britain comment tell us about his thinking right now?
Mimi
That he's comfortable with inflammatory rhetoric. When you're trailing in polls and facing legal pressure, you start speaking to your base in their language. The "Islamic republic" line plays to fears about immigration and cultural change. It's a sign of how much he's leaning into divisive messaging.
Mark
Does this billboard actually change anything on the ground?
Mimi
Not directly. But it signals that Netanyahu sees his critics—especially American ones—as a threat to his political survival. And it shows how far he's willing to go to reframe the debate. The real question is whether it works.
El Pulso
- A Tel Aviv billboard bearing Netanyahu's party logo places NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani beside the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah, a provocation that crosses the line from political criticism into deliberate demonization.
- Mamdani had already sharpened the conflict by calling Netanyahu a 'war criminal' and urging U.S. authorities to arrest him if he sets foot in New York for the UN General Assembly in September.
- Netanyahu's coalition is trailing in domestic polls ahead of October elections, and his recent rhetoric — including calling Britain 'the first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon' — signals a campaign leaning hard into divisive, far-right messaging.
- The irony cuts deep: polling shows Mamdani is more popular among American Jews than Netanyahu himself, undermining the very framing the billboard is designed to project.
- Gaza ceasefire talks remain deadlocked — a three-hour meeting between Netanyahu and Jared Kushner produced no breakthrough — leaving the Israeli government under simultaneous pressure from courts, allies, and its own electorate.
In the ancient theater of political survival, a billboard in Tel Aviv has placed a New York City mayor alongside the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah — not because the comparison holds, but because it serves a purpose. Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, trailing in polls ahead of October elections, has chosen Zohran Mamdani as a symbol of external threat, responding to the mayor's calls to enforce an ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly. What the billboard reveals is less about Mamdani and more about the fragility of a government under pressure from many directions at once — legal, diplomatic, and democratic.
A billboard appeared last week in central Tel Aviv bearing four faces: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish President Erdoğan, Iran's supreme leader Khamenei, and Hezbollah's Naim Qassem. The message, stamped with Netanyahu's Likud logo, read: "They want Netanyahu to lose … Don't let them win." The implication was deliberate — an American mayor grouped with some of the region's most hostile actors.
The feud had been building for months. Mamdani, who ran for office as a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza, escalated sharply last month by calling Netanyahu a "war criminal" and urging U.S. authorities to enforce an ICC arrest warrant against him should he attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Netanyahu fired back, accusing Mamdani of stoking religious hatred and warning that the mayor threatened long-standing bipartisan American support for Israel.
What makes the billboard striking is what the polling data says underneath it. Mamdani is actually more popular among American Jews than Netanyahu — a fact that suggests the campaign strategy is driven more by desperation than strength. Netanyahu's coalition is trailing ahead of October elections, called after the Knesset dissolved in July, and the billboard fits a broader pattern of inflammatory rhetoric: this week, Netanyahu described Britain as "the Islamic republic of Britain" and called it "the first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon."
Mamdani has not publicly responded to his appearance on the billboard. In the background, Gaza ceasefire negotiations remain stalled — a three-hour meeting between Netanyahu and Jared Kushner produced no breakthrough, with Israel still refusing withdrawal until Hamas agrees to disarm. The billboard, then, is not simply a personal attack. It is a window into a government losing ground on multiple fronts, redirecting pressure outward when it cannot resolve the pressures within.
A billboard went up in central Tel Aviv last week that tells you something about where Israeli politics stands right now. It shows four faces side by side: the New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Naim Qassem, who leads Hezbollah. The message underneath, bearing Netanyahu's Likud party logo, is blunt: "They want Netanyahu to lose … Don't let them win." The comparison is unmistakable. Netanyahu's party is running for reelection in October, and they have decided that an American mayor deserves to be grouped with some of the region's most hostile actors.
The feud between Netanyahu and Mamdani has been building for months. Mamdani, who ran for office as a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza, escalated things sharply last month when he called Netanyahu a "war criminal" who belonged in The Hague. He went further, urging U.S. authorities to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli leader if he attends the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Netanyahu responded by accusing Mamdani of fomenting hatred between religious groups in his city and warned that the mayor represented a threat to long-standing bipartisan American support for Israel.
What makes the billboard particularly striking is the polling data that contradicts Netanyahu's framing. Recent surveys show that Mamdani is actually more popular among American Jews than Netanyahu himself—a detail that suggests the Israeli prime minister's campaign strategy may be rooted more in political desperation than political strength. Netanyahu's coalition is trailing in opinion polls ahead of the October elections, which were called after the Knesset dissolved in July. He is fighting to hold power, and part of that fight involves painting his critics as enemies of Israel itself.
The attack on Mamdani fits a broader pattern of Netanyahu's recent rhetoric. Just this week, in an interview with Israel's army radio, he described Britain as "the Islamic republic of Britain" and called it "the first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon." The comments invoked familiar far-right talking points about Muslim populations in Western countries—language that suggests Netanyahu is leaning into divisive messaging as his political position weakens.
Mamdani has not yet publicly responded to being featured on the billboard. Meanwhile, the broader context for this spat involves stalled negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and Middle East envoy, met with Netanyahu for three hours on Monday, but the talks produced no breakthrough. Israel continues to refuse withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas agrees to disarm—a condition that has become a sticking point in negotiations. The billboard, then, is not just about a personal feud between two politicians. It reflects a moment when Netanyahu's government is under pressure on multiple fronts: losing ground in domestic polls, facing international legal scrutiny, watching American Jewish support shift away from him, and unable to close a ceasefire deal that might ease international pressure. Attacking a New York mayor may be a way of redirecting that pressure outward.
Citas Notables
Netanyahu accused Mamdani of fomenting hatred between religious groups and warned the mayor represented a threat to bipartisan American support for Israel.— Netanyahu's response to Mamdani's criticism
They want Netanyahu to lose … Don't let them win.— Message on Likud campaign billboard
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The Guardian ↗
War & Conflict