Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his Tisha B'Av address Wednesday evening, expanded on his call for unity, warning that baseless hatred destroyed the ancient Jewish commonwealth and that love of Israel enabled the nation's revival. He reiterated his pledge to form a broad national unity government, according to the statement released by his office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released the full text of his Tisha B'Av address Wednesday evening, expanding on his call for national unity with a direct invocation of the traditional cause of the Temple's destruction: 'Through baseless hatred we were destroyed, through love of Israel we arose.' The statement, issued by his office, builds on an earlier summary that included his warning against the 'destruction of the Third House' — a metaphor for civil war — and his pledge to form a broad national unity government.
As The Zioneer first reported at 18:47 Jerusalem, citing N12's Dafna Liel, Netanyahu announced his intention to form a broad national unity government. In a subsequent statement at the same hour, the Prime Minister elaborated that the nation had together prevented the 'destruction of the Third House' over the past three years. The full text released later Wednesday evening now includes the traditional Tisha B'Av lesson, explicitly linking the ancient destruction to baseless hatred.
The address comes as Israel marks Tisha B'Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples, traditionally attributed to internal strife. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, President Isaac Herzog also warned in his Tisha B'Av address of threats to election integrity and called for unity, citing the same historical lesson. Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed national unity in recent statements, including at a Rambam hospital visit on July 7, as The Zioneer reported.
The full text also includes a reference to the ongoing campaigns: 'We have repelled the horror of destruction and achieved tremendous gains.' It remains unclear what specific political steps Netanyahu will take to form a broad unity government, as no coalition negotiations have been announced.
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