Israel's ruling Likud party launched a campaign billboard featuring New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside three other international figures [1].
The advertisement links a U.S. municipal leader with heads of state and militant organizations, a move that signals a high-tension approach to the upcoming election cycle.
The billboard displays four individuals [2]: Mamdani, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem. The text on the display reads, “They want Netanyahu to lose; don’t let them win” [1].
Likud officials said the four figures share a desire to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defeated in the election scheduled for October [1]. The party is using the imagery to urge voters to reject candidates or policies that align with these figures [2].
By grouping a democratic elected official from the U.S. with the leadership of Iran and Hezbollah, Likud frames the domestic political contest as a struggle against a broad coalition of foreign adversaries [1]. This strategy emphasizes the perceived external threats to the current administration's leadership [2].
The campaign has sparked backlash following the appearance of the billboard [1]. Critics point to the disparity between the roles of a city mayor and the leaders of sovereign nations or militant groups.
““They want Netanyahu to lose; don’t let them win.””
The inclusion of a New York City mayor on a campaign billboard alongside the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah represents an expansion of Likud's 'external enemy' narrative. By equating a U.S. local politician with designated adversaries, the party is attempting to nationalize the election by suggesting that opposition to Netanyahu is synonymous with the interests of Israel's primary geopolitical rivals.
