Israel's Netanyahu campaigns aboard bulletproof 'Bibibus'

BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — Props are a familiar part of Benjamin Netanyahu's repertoire when delivering public speeches — from cartoon bombs at the United Nations to a wall of CDs and binders supposedly seized from Iran by Mossad agents.

Now, the former prime minister — famed for his flair for the dramatic — is hitting the campaign trail with a new shtick. Behold: the Bibibus.

The bizarre bulletproof vehicle is part popemobile, part movie set and 100% vintage Netanyahu. As Israel heads to the polls for the fifth time in under four years, the veteran politician is using the Bibibus to attract passionate crowds of supporters and once again make himself the focus of attention among a weary electorate.

At a rally in the southern city of Beersheba on Tuesday, Netanyahu addressed a crowd of around 200 people in a mall parking lot. Flanked by his former finance minister, he spoke at a podium from the back of the modified delivery truck. Its side wall had been replaced with bulletproof glass, and its air-conditioned interior was backlit with an enormous LED screen projecting the logo of his Likud party over a fluttering Israeli flag.

Netanyahu does not actually ride in the vehicle. Instead, it serves as a mobile stage that is moved from city to city to serve as the backdrop for his campaign appearances.

Commentators have variously dubbed it the “aquarium truck," the “Bibimobile” and the “Bibibus” — riffing on Netanyahu's nickname. The Likud promotes the mobile rallies as “Bibiba,” or “Bibi is coming,” and says the truck is a necessary security precaution.

“I have to stand here, unfortunately,” he told the crowd, tapping his hand against the glass separating him from the throngs of cheering supporters before delivering pledges to combat rising costs of living and inflation.

The...