Tel aviv: Israel is gearing up for a legislative election on October 27, marking the first time since 1988 that a Knesset has served a full four-year term. The continued tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, which includes far-right, ultra-Orthodox, and religious Zionist parties, was not due to popular domestic policies but largely as a result of the regional conflict that erupted in Gaza after October 7, 2023.
According to Anadolu Agency, Netanyahu quickly launched his election campaign as soon as the date was set. His strategy appears to rely heavily on sidestepping responsibility for the October 7 events, a tactic he might find challenging to sell to the Israeli public. To bolster his campaign, Netanyahu has introduced a new narrative of enmity, prominently featuring AI-generated videos.
One such video, posted on his official X account, portrays figures like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as preparing to celebrate Netanyahu's electoral defeat. The celebration is abruptly halted with the implication that Netanyahu will win, sending a clear message: "My defeat is a victory for these actors."
Netanyahu's campaign strategy involves grouping disparate figures onto a single stage of "enemies," drawing false equivalencies between his actual and potential adversaries. By conflating these figures with political and legal criticisms directed at him, Netanyahu frames the election as a referendum on "defending Netanyahu against Israel's enemies," rather than a standard democratic process.
The AI-generated video is the second phase of a Likud billboard campaign initiated in August. This indicates that it is part of a well-considered campaign narrative rather than a spontaneous social media tactic. The August billboard featured images of the Iranian leader, Erdogan, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, and Mamdani with the slogan: "They want Netanyahu to lose; don't let them win." In the recent video, Mahmoud Abbas has replaced the Hezbollah leader.
By equating an armed non-state actor, the leader of a NATO member state, the President of Palestine, and a democratically elected American mayor as equal threats, the campaign suggests that opposition to Netanyahu is the sole criteria for being labeled a threat.
Netanyahu has consistently positioned Erdogan as a bogeyman in Israeli right-wing rhetoric, exacerbated by tensions over Israeli actions in Gaza, geopolitical rivalry, and competition for regional influence. Erdogan's calls for Netanyahu's accountability and support for ICC arrest warrants against him have only intensified these tensions.
Mamdani's inclusion in the video reflects an attempt to equate his political critiques, particularly his remarks on ICC warrants, with actual security threats posed by Iran and Hezbollah. This framing seeks to recast Erdogan and Mamdani as proxies of an anti-Israel enemy front, rather than critical foreign politicians.
Ultimately, Netanyahu's campaign dilutes the meaning of "enemy," equating wanting him out of office with desiring Israel's destruction. The message targets not foreign leaders but the Israeli opposition, suggesting that their victory would equate to a win for Israel's adversaries. Netanyahu presents his political survival as synonymous with national security, warning that his defeat would allow the "enemy" to triumph.
While Netanyahu's campaign has not swayed the entire Israeli public, it resonates with a segment of voters. A poll by Channel 12 on September 7 indicated that Gadi Eisenkot was preferred over Netanyahu as prime minister, with 42% to Netanyahu's 35%. The pro-Netanyahu bloc currently lacks a clear majority, reflecting a polarized and volatile electoral landscape.
The AI-generated video aims to stoke security fears among right-wing voters, encouraging turnout and bloc loyalty. It shifts the electoral debate away from the government's accountability for recent events and rebrands Netanyahu's vulnerability as strength. The campaign seeks to consolidate a fractured right-wing base by warning that a split vote aids the enemy and undermines the legitimacy of domestic dissent by equating opposition to Netanyahu with hostility towards Israel.
Netanyahu's use of AI technology is a modern tactic, but his strategy echoes age-old political maneuvers, linking his survival to national security and portraying foreign adversaries as arbiters of domestic politics. The video's true artificiality lies in its premise, falsely presenting disparate actors as a unified threat, and erasing distinctions between military threats, diplomatic rivals, legal critics, and democratic opponents.