Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be delivering what could be his final address on the floor of the United Nations when he takes to the podium in Turtle Bay on Thursday.

Elections will take place little more than a month after his address, and according to the latest poll from The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site, Zman Yisrael, Netanyahu’s bloc is falling well short of the 61 seats he needs to form another government.

If anyone can pull a victory out of thin air in a challenging political environment, however, it’s Netanyahu. And if anyone can deliver a memorable address, it’s the same orator, a veteran of 14 UN General Assembly speeches.

At home, the prime minister is facing significant voter anger over his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, attacks, his refusal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the disaster, his outgoing coalition’s insistent refusal to enlist Haredim, and a growing extremist strain in society.

There are not many opportunities left for Netanyahu to capture headlines — and potentially move crucial votes —  in Israel. Although the prime minister will focus on pressing national security issues of interest to world leaders on Thursday, his foremost audience will be Israeli voters watching short highlights and skimming the front page back home.

For starters, Netanyahu already has a useful foil.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu released a video laying into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who, having threatened to arrest him, has himself been making headlines off of Netanyahu by accusing him of genocide.

“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.”

“I am coming to the UN,” Netanyahu declared. “I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers. And I’m going to tell the truth about you.”

But Netanyahu will seek to do more than attack a mayor already broadly despised in Israel.

He has to convince voters that the same leader who was in office during the October 7, 2023 Hamas invasion and massacre, and who oversaw three decidedly inconclusive campaigns in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Iran, is best qualified to keep Israel safe for the next four years.

On Gaza, Netanyahu will likely point out that the IDF controls over 60% of the Strip, stress that Hamas brigade commanders continue to be eliminated (though the........

© The Times of Israel