Why Netanyahu Needs Zohran Mamdani
Likud’s Mamdani billboard bets voters may rally against Netanyahu’s foreign critics, even if they are tired of the Israeli leader.
New Yorkers exploring Tel Aviv's Ayalon Highway, seeking respite from American politics, may have encountered a familiar face: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Surprisingly, Mamdani has been added to Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection campaign, an unusual inclusion as he holds no political power within Israel. The Israeli leader's Likud party has placed Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on campaign billboards ahead of the October 27 elections.
The Hebrew slogan roughly translates to: "They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win. Leave it to Bibi to unofficially enlist foreign characters in his bid to win another election." Despite Mamdani's political impotence in the Middle East, Likud hopes that including controversial figures like Mamdani, Erdoğan, Khamenei, and Qassem will make voters more likely to support Netanyahu by casting votes against these antagonists.
This tactic aims to tap into a broader pool of voters who might be undecided about Netanyahu or his domestic opponents, but who dislike Mamdani, Hezbollah, and Erdoğan.
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