Netanyahu adds Narendra Modi to poll campaign

Tel Aviv, July 29: Ahead of unprecedented snap polls on September 17, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party has put banners featuring his pictures with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to lure support by presenting him in a "different league".

The Likud party headquarters on Metzudat Ze'ev 38, King George Street, in Tel Aviv was seen with election advertisement banners depicting Netanyahu's closeness with the three world leaders with Hebrew text on top saying, Netanyahu (in a) "different league".

Netanyahu's campaign has focused on bringing out his close chemistry with the world leaders and trying to project him as a leader of unmatched stature in Israeli politics which is crucial for the country's security.

The Israeli Premier will be travelling to India on a day-long visit on September 9 to meet Modi, just eight days before the repeat polls in the Jewish state, in what some political analysts feel is a photo-op to project his acceptance worldwide and prop up his campaign just before the polls.

Netanyahu, who created history on July 20 by becoming the longest-serving Israeli Prime Minister, surpassing Israel's first premier David Ben-Gurion, is facing a tough political challenge as opinion polls show flagging fortunes for his ruling Likud party.

Ha'aretz columnist Yossi Verter, in an opinion piece, 'Netanyahu's Out of Luck, but He's Hoping a Photo-op With India's Modi Will Help', recently argued that Netanyahu, who's fighting for his personal survival ahead of a hearing before the state prosecution on several graft cases, must find a way to bounce back.

He wrote that that the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem is said to have reached out to their counterparts in New Delhi and requested for an invitation.

Verter also pointed out how Netanyahu used his closeness with Trump and Putin to "win favours" to boost his campaign before the polls on April 9.