Why Mamdani features alongside Iran, Hezbollah leaders on Netanyahu billboard

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been featured alongside the leaders of Iran, Hezbollah and Turkey on a campaign billboard put up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in central Tel Aviv, as Netanyahu seeks to portray his political opponents as a threat to Israel ahead of the country’s upcoming elections.

The billboard shows Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. It carries the message, “They want Netanyahu to lose Don’t let them win,” along with the logo of Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud party.

Mamdani’s inclusion reflects his increasingly vocal criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza and his escalating public feud with Netanyahu. During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani criticised Israel’s military actions in Gaza and last month called Netanyahu a “war criminal” who “belonged in The Hague”.

Mamdani also called on US authorities to enforce the Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister travels to New York for the UN General Assembly in September.

Netanyahu has responded by accusing Mamdani of “fomenting hate” and turning different religious groups against one another in New York. He has also warned that support for Israel among US Democrats could weaken because of progressive politicians aligned with Mamdani.

The billboard comes as Netanyahu has entered campaign mode to preserve his far-right governing coalition. Israel’s Knesset was dissolved in July, paving the way for elections in October, the first national vote since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.

Netanyahu, whose coalition is trailing in opinion polls, shared an image of the billboard on social media along with a video of Mamdani’s remarks calling him a war criminal.

The Israeli prime minister’s attack on Mamdani also comes amid a broader deterioration in his rhetoric towards Western governments. Earlier this week, Netanyahu described Britain as the “Islamic republic of Britain” and said it was the “first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon”, comments that drew criticism for echoing a far-right Islamophobic trope about the country’s Muslim population.

The feud between Netanyahu and Mamdani is unfolding as US-Israeli efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire agreement face renewed difficulties. US envoy Jared Kushner held a three-hour meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, but no breakthrough was reported as Israel continues to insist that its forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas agrees to disarm.

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