Former Israeli general warns of 'irreversible collapse'

Retired Israeli Maj. Gen. Itzhak Brik warned Sunday that Israel is facing an irreversible breakdown across its military, economy and state institutions, declaring that the country has lost international legitimacy and could not survive prolonged isolation.

'Death certificate' of Israel

Writing in Israel's Maariv daily, Brik described last Tuesday's parliamentary elections as producing "the official death certificate of the State of Israel as we knew it," dismissing television coverage of coalition arithmetic as akin to an orchestra playing aboard the Titanic. "We have lost legitimacy and allies," he wrote, warning that complete isolation would prove unsustainable for the state.

Military and economic decay

The former commander of military colleges and former Ministry of Defense Ombudsman for Soldiers' Complaints said Israel's ground forces were suffering structural collapse and plummeting morale, leaving them incapable of defending against simultaneous threats from within and beyond its borders. An exhausted army would be unable to halt large-scale incursions or protect civilians in a wider regional war, he noted. Brik also reported that prolonged warfare had driven national debt to 1.4 trillion shekels ($445 billion), dismissing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to use cryptocurrencies to counter possible European sanctions as naive and warning that further deterioration could threaten Israelis' savings.

Domestic fractures

Brik said Israeli society was experiencing a "silent civil war" rather than mere polarization, noting that doctors, scientists and technology entrepreneurs were leaving the country and draining expertise accumulated over decades. He accused the political leadership of eroding the rule of law through political appointments that prioritized loyalty over competence. The Oct. 27 election left Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset compared with 48 for the opposition bloc led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot and 19 for Arab parties — with neither main bloc securing the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.