Erosion from within: Israel’s internal collapse and global isolation

The New York Times recently reported on Israel’s growing crisis of legitimacy, noting that “as Israel passes through days of tension and uncertainty, deep political, social, and moral fractures within the regime—combined with unprecedented global isolation—have exposed an eroded and distrusted face of the state.

Meanwhile, widespread despair among Israelis, declining faith in the future, and growing doubt about their leaders’ legitimacy clearly signal the regime’s descent into a new stage of internal collapse.”

According to recent surveys, more than 62% of young Israelis say they no longer believe in the future of their state. Rates of depression, emigration, and distrust toward official institutions are also at their highest levels in two decades.

Israeli analysts attribute this growing disillusionment among the youth to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political and military failures. Once promising “total security,” he now faces a storm of protests, public dissatisfaction, and economic turmoil.

Deep political and social divisions

Israel’s long-standing internal rifts—between religious and secular communities, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and even between Jews and Arab citizens—have reached a boiling point.

Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo voiced concern over Israel’s eroding social cohesion, warning: “We are losing our national spirit; a regime that once claimed unity has now become an arena of power struggles and hatred.”

Security experts in Tel Aviv emphasize that Netanyahu’s cabinet thrives on “fear and insecurity” to cling to power—a fear stemming not only from external enemies but from within Israeli society itself.

Meanwhile, as much of Gaza lies in ruins, Western promises of “reconstruction” have proven hollow. U.S. President Donald Trump once floated the idea of a “New Gaza,” a free-trade and investment hub—but experts dismissed it as a failed revival of the so-called “economic peace” plan, designed merely to reinforce occupation.

Aid organizations warn that rebuilding Gaza could take decades amid ongoing siege, resource shortages, and continued attacks that have stripped residents of any opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Growing international isolation

Globally, Israel faces unprecedented isolation and condemnation. European governments, under intense public pressure, are calling for an end to occupation and a permanent ceasefire.

In Western political circles, talk of Israel’s “right to defend itself” has largely vanished—replaced by accusations of “crimes against humanity” and “gross human rights violations.”

Even mainstream media outlets that once echoed Tel Aviv’s narrative now write about the moral and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza—a profound shift that marks Israel’s defeat in the battle of narratives.

Legitimacy crisis: A greater threat than missiles

Regional analysts argue that Israel’s greatest threat no longer comes from rockets or the battlefield but from within—its own society and psyche.

Eroding public trust, widespread discontent, capital flight, and a growing wave of reverse migration all signal a legitimacy crisis that, if sustained, could shake the very foundations of the state.

As Israeli security researcher Yoel Gazit put it: “We are fighting a war in which victory means defeat—the more we fight, the more isolated we become.”

Today, Israel finds itself encircled not only by geography but by deeper realities—political, moral, and social. These realities point to a gradual internal disintegration, one that no wall can conceal.

The end of the myth of invincibility

The regime that once saw itself as invincible now stands before global public opinion as a defeated, isolated, and morally bankrupt entity.

The war on Gaza shattered not only Israel’s military might but also its moral standing and legitimacy. The world now sees clearly that this regime is not a victim—but the principal source of instability and violence in the region.

In this new reality, Israel’s future has never seemed more uncertain—a future even Tel Aviv’s leaders can no longer look upon with confidence.