ISTANBUL / Khaled Youssef / AA

** Netanyahu pledges to form 'broad and stable national government'

** Golan: Leaders of moderate Sunni states do not see Netanyahu's government as a reliable partner

** Kariv: We will replace Netanyahu and 'the failed and corrupt gang' on October 27

** Bennett pledges 'state reform' and Gantz calls for a broad Zionist government

What is known among Jews as the 'anniversary of the destruction of the Temple,' which falls on Thursday, has turned into a new occasion for political wrangling and election campaigning in Israel, about three months before the general elections scheduled for October 27.

Since the Knesset (parliament) voted on July 17 to dissolve itself and call for early elections, Israeli parties have effectively entered an election campaign, during which coalition and opposition leaders exchange accusations over security and political failures, with each side presenting itself as a capable alternative to restore stability.

Party leaders exploited the occasion of the 'destruction of the Temple' to launch election messages dominated by calls for unity and 'state reform,' while blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for internal division and the repercussions of the October 7, 2023 attack.

Jews annually commemorate, through fasting and mourning, what is called the 'anniversary of the destruction of the Temple,' claiming that the Babylonians and Romans destroyed the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE respectively.

Netanyahu promises expanded government

Netanyahu, in a statement published on the official website of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday, said he would work to form a 'broad and stable national government' if his bloc wins the upcoming elections.

Netanyahu is contesting the elections seeking to retain power, while opposition parties, despite their differing political orientations, converge on the goal of ending his rule and removing his allies from government.

Netanyahu's government began its term in late 2022 by pushing for judicial amendments it described as 'reform,' while the opposition saw them as an attempt to weaken the judiciary and undermine democracy.

During its term, the government waged wars and military operations on the fronts of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen, before concluding its parliamentary session with a series of legislation related to religious Jews, the 'Haredim,' which the opposition described as laws for 'draft dodging and embezzlement of public funds.'

Netanyahu said: 'In the past three years we have succeeded in avoiding a civil war, and we were brothers fighting side by side to repel those who seek to kill us,' according to his words.

He added that the work 'is not over yet,' and that Israel faces many challenges, expressing confidence in its ability to overcome them.

He continued: 'As Prime Minister of Israel, I intend to strengthen our unity, and I will work to form a broad and stable national government that will take responsibility for our security and future.'

Golan: Netanyahu's government untrustworthy

In contrast, head of the 'Democrats' party Yair Golan said that leaders of moderate Sunni Arab states in the region do not wish to speak with Netanyahu, and do not view his government as a reliable partner.

The Israeli Army Radio quoted Golan as saying: 'Through my conversations with leaders at the highest levels in the region, there is no regional leader of a moderate Sunni Arab state willing to speak with Netanyahu.'

He added that these leaders 'are not willing to deal with Israel as a potential partner, and consider the current government untrustworthy.'

Golan's remarks came during a visit he made on Wednesday to settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip accompanied by a number of his party candidates, where his speech focused on blaming Netanyahu's government for the failure that preceded the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

He said in a video statement: 'We arrived today to the area surrounding Gaza, where the biggest disaster in the state's history occurred, and from here the march of reform also begins.'

He considered that the upcoming elections will essentially revolve around the October 7 attack, and whether Israel will continue following the approach that led to it, or will choose 'a new path of security, responsibility, and diplomacy.'

He also called for ending Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip and rearranging its situation, claiming that is necessary to prevent a repeat of a similar attack.

In another post on the American company X platform, Golan described the upcoming elections as 'the most decisive since the establishment of the state,' and said they will determine the path that Israel will take.

He added, asking: 'Will it head towards continued collapse, extremism, racism, hatred, division, and polarization, or towards rebuilding the immense destruction left by the current government?'

He described Netanyahu's government as 'the government of the October 7 failure, which abandoned citizens at the moment of truth,' considering that leadership should not 'challenge the world with arrogance,' but act with diplomatic wisdom and responsibility.

Kariv accuses Netanyahu of endangering Israel

For his part, Knesset member from the 'Democrats' party Gilad Kariv launched a sharp attack on Netanyahu, describing him as 'arrogant and corrupt.'

Kariv said in a post on the X platform that Netanyahu led Israel to 'an unprecedented diplomatic low,' and weakened its strategic standing in relations with the United States.

He added that US President Donald Trump 'does not take Netanyahu into account,' and that broad sectors of the American political scene have become hostile to him.

He continued: 'Netanyahu's continued tenure endangers the strategic assets of the State of Israel.'

He concluded: 'On October 27, we will replace Netanyahu and the failed and corrupt gang that endangered us.'

Bennett: We will repair our state

Former Prime Minister and head of the 'Together' party Naftali Bennett posted a picture of himself in front of the Western Wall in occupied East Jerusalem, and accompanied it with the phrase: 'Together we will repair our state, and together we will live in it forever.'

Bennett said that Israel is going through a phase of internal division, pledging not to allow this division to repeat in the future.

Bennett presents himself in the election campaign as a right-wing alternative to Netanyahu, benefiting from the decline in trust in the current government against the backdrop of the October 7 failures and divisions over the war and mandatory conscription for religious Jews.

Gantz mocks Netanyahu-Haredi alliance

For his part, head of the 'Blue and White' party Benny Gantz said that 'only a broad Zionist government will ensure services and security' for Israelis.

Gantz posted a satirical video clip showing Netanyahu heading to greet an Israeli soldier, then turning away to greet the head of the Haredi party 'Yahadut HaTorah,' Yitzhak Goldknopf.

Goldknopf appears in the clip holding a sign reading: 'We die but we do not enlist in the Israeli army,' in reference to disputes over exempting students of Jewish religious seminaries from military service.

Through this discourse, Gantz seeks to attract voters who oppose the alliance between Netanyahu and the Haredi parties, and the legislation granting religious exemptions from conscription and additional financial allowances.

Opposition ahead in polls

According to the latest poll published by the Hebrew newspaper Ma'ariv on Friday, the opposition bloc surpasses Netanyahu's bloc and could form a government by winning 62 seats in the Knesset, compared to 48 seats for the far-right coalition parties.