Elections bring out the absolute worst in political messaging. Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is writing a masterclass in how to use artificial intelligence to frame a domestic race as an existential geopolitical struggle.
If you've been watching the build-up to Israel's upcoming October 27 general election, you've probably seen the bizarre synthetic media circulating online. Netanyahu recently dropped a campaign video powered by generative AI. It features a fictional gathering of high-profile international figures celebrating his potential downfall. The roster includes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
And who else gets a starring role in this digital fever dream? New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The Mechanics of Synthetic Campaigning
Synthetic media used to require Hollywood budgets and months of post-production work. Today, it takes a few prompts and a social media account. Netanyahu's latest campaign drop on X doesn't try to hide its artificial origins; instead, it leans heavily into caricature to send a blunt, unvarnished message to conservative voters.
In the clip, a fictionalized version of Mayor Mamdani places calls to coordinate a celebration party for Netanyahu's electoral defeat. The video bounces between Erdogan, a bandaged Khamenei lying in a hospital bed, and Abbas claiming he is just minutes away. When things fall apart and the celebration is canceled, Khamenei retreats back into a bunker. The punchline flashes on screen: "They want Netanyahu to fall. Don't let them win. Likud."
It's crude, it's aggressive, and it's wildly effective at framing domestic political rivals as proxies for foreign adversaries.
This isn't happening in a vacuum. Mamdani and Netanyahu have already traded heavy rhetorical blows over the past year. Back in July, Mamdani publicly declared that Netanyahu was a war criminal who wasn't welcome in New York City, though he later acknowledged local government lacks the independent legal authority to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Netanyahu's camp fired back aggressively, setting the stage for Mamdani's jarring cameo in Israeli campaign ads.
Why This Strategy Works Right Now
To understand why Netanyahu is leaning on these tactics, look at the polling data. Recent surveys from outlets like Channel 13 show former military chief Gadi Eisenkot pulling ahead of Netanyahu as the preferred choice for prime minister. Yet, the broader math remains deadlocked, with both major blocs projected to land roughly 53 seats each in the 120-member Knesset. Neither side is anywhere near the 61-seat threshold needed for a stable majority.
When you're facing a tight race, mounting domestic pressure over the handling of the Gaza war, an ongoing corruption trial, and plummeting approval, standard policy debates won't save you. You have to change the subject.
Netanyahu isn't running against Eisenkot on the economy or municipal services. He's running against an alliance of external threats. By tying domestic opposition figures to hostile regional leaders and high-profile progressive American mayors who have sharply criticized Israeli policy, the Likud campaign is trying to consolidate right-wing voters through sheer existential dread.
The Dangerous Normalization of Deepfakes in Politics
We are crossing a line that we can't uncross. When sitting world leaders routinely deploy generative AI to mock opponents and fabricate scenes of foreign dictators, the baseline for political truth dissolves completely.
Voters are left in a permanent state of cognitive dissonance. If a prime minister can post a cartoonish AI skit featuring NYC mayors and Iranian rulers without facing institutional penalties, what stops grassroots actors from deploying hyper-realistic deepfakes to swing local races? The technology scales down effortlessly.
The October general election in Israel will determine whether Netanyahu's long political era finally reaches its expiration date. But regardless of who wins the Knesset, the normalization of synthetic political theater is here to stay.
Watch how other global campaigns adopt these exact tactics over the next cycle. Stop trusting what you see on social media feeds at face value. Check the primary sources, look past the theater, and focus on the structural policies driving these high-stakes political battles.
