Watch: Netanyahu’s AI video shows rivals celebrating his defeat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shared an AI-generated video portraying several political figures as celebrating his possible defeat in Israel’s upcoming election.

In the video, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appear in a fictional conversation about Netanyahu’s political downfall.

In a post on X on Friday, September 4, Netanyahu shared the video, which opens with a character representing Mamdani calling Erdogan and asking whether he will attend a party to celebrate Netanyahu’s fall in the election.

Erdogan’s character replies that he is coming with Khamenei and “those who are left”. Khamenei is then shown lying on a hospital bed with bandages as his character says: “Finally, we will overthrow Netanyahu!”

The video later depicts Abbas saying he is already on his way and is “five minutes from Kfar Saba”, a city in central Israel.

The fictional celebration is then abruptly called off, with Mamdani’s character telling the others to cancel the party. Khamenei’s character says he is returning “to the bunker”, while Mamdani then asks Erdogan whether he is still there.

The video ends with the message: “They want Netanyahu to fall. Don’t let them win. Likud.”

Election backdrop

The post comes ahead of Israel’s general election on October 27, which will determine whether Netanyahu can extend his tenure after leading the current government since December 2022.

A recent Channel 13 poll showed former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot leading Netanyahu by 10 percentage points as the preferred candidate for prime minister, with 47 per cent backing Eisenkot compared with 37 per cent for Netanyahu.

However, both Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition were projected to win 53 seats each in the 120-member Knesset, leaving neither side with the 61 seats required for a majority.

Netanyahu continues to face an ongoing corruption trial and criticism over his government’s conduct of the Gaza war. The International Criminal Court also issued an arrest warrant for him in November 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.