Israeli Media's Portrayal of Internal Collapse is False, Data Shows

A Palestinian-American commentator, Ahmed Fouad Alhatib, has criticized Israeli media, particularly Haaretz, for portraying Israeli society as weak and collapsing internally. Alhatib stated that Hamas uses such reports to justify prolonging the conflict, citing Haaretz's coverage of Israeli internal dissent and military struggles as evidence for Hamas to continue fighting. He recounted an incident at a Haaretz conference where he showed a participant how frequently Hamas cited Haaretz on its Telegram channels.

This criticism comes as similar claims about Israeli society's "nervous breakdown" and widespread violence are being made within Israel. Haaretz columnist Iris Leal asserted that Israeli society is undergoing a "continuous nervous breakdown," while political activist Ronen Tzur claimed that a quarter-million Israelis would leave the country due to violence if the right-wing wins an election. Tzur's representative stated, "This is not the country I grew up in and not the country I want to raise my children in."

However, the article refutes these claims using data. Contrary to the notion of a "nervous breakdown," Israeli society exhibits remarkable mental resilience. While there was a spike in mental distress immediately after the October 7th attack, it has since declined to pre-war levels. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety rates have all decreased significantly. Israel also maintains low suicide rates, dangerous drug and alcohol use, and high life satisfaction compared to other developed nations.

Furthermore, the article disputes claims of escalating violence driving Israelis away. The homicide rate in Israel is 3.61 per 100,000 people, which is lower than the average in developed countries (5 per 100,000). While violence is higher within the Arab community in Israel (4.9 per 100,000), it is still below the developed world average, and the rate among Jews is exceptionally low (0.67 per 100,000). Israel also leads the OECD in personal security, with about 80% of citizens feeling safe walking alone at night.

The author concludes that these narratives of internal collapse and rampant violence are unfounded and potentially embolden enemies, drawing a parallel to Hassan Nasrallah's past assessment of Israeli society as "weaker than a spider's web," which led to his attack on Israel.