A fierce political controversy has erupted in Israel over a billboard campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party ahead of the country’s upcoming election.
The billboard, displayed near the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, features images of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem side by side.
The message suggests that these figures want to see Netanyahu defeated and urges Israeli voters to remain vigilant.
Prime Minister Netanyahu himself shared an image of the campaign on social media, drawing further attention to the billboard and its political message.
Opposition Strikes Back
Opposition parties in Israel have responded to the Likud campaign with satirical counter-messaging, increasing political pressure on Netanyahu.
The party of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, Yashar, altered the wording of the billboard in a satirical response, arguing that Netanyahu should not remain in power if Israel is to maintain its national security and defense capabilities.
Opposition lawmaker Naama Lazimi also mocked the Likud campaign by creating a montage featuring individuals allegedly connected to the former prime minister’s advisers and the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, turning the Likud’s own campaign tactics against it.
The exchange reflects the increasingly confrontational nature of Israeli election politics, where political parties are using provocative imagery and references to domestic and international figures to shape voters’ perceptions of Netanyahu and his opponents.
The inclusion of Mamdani alongside Khamenei, Erdoğan and Qassem is particularly notable because it seeks to place a prominent American political figure in the same visual frame as leaders and figures whom Netanyahu’s supporters portray as adversaries of Israel. The billboard therefore appears designed not simply to criticize Netanyahu’s opponents, but to frame the election as a broader struggle over Israel’s security and political direction.
Further developments surrounding Israel’s election, including the latest positions of the major parties and the political significance of the campaign, can be followed through international media outlets and official election-related sources.
