Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently expressed grave concerns about the current state of Israel, highlighting issues of psychological distress among soldiers, a faltering economy, and deteriorating diplomacy. In an article published on the Israeli news site Walla, Lieberman emphasized that nine months after Hamas’s deadly surprise attack on Israel, there has been little change in the Israeli leadership’s approach.
Lieberman pointed out that nightmares plague children, adults, soldiers, and reservists, reflecting deep psychological trauma. He also noted that the Israeli economy is on the brink of collapse and that diplomatic relations are weakening. The leader of the right-wing opposition party criticized the government’s handling of ongoing tensions with Hezbollah, mentioning that the north of Israel is desolate and scorched, while Iran continues to arm itself.
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Lieberman stressed the importance of conducting negotiations for the release of hostages away from public scrutiny. He advocated for allowing Nitzan Alon, responsible for the missing persons file in the Israeli army, to lead the process with full support and without media interference.
In the context of the ongoing conflict, Israeli actions have resulted in the deaths of over 38,000 Palestinians in Gaza since an October 7 cross-border attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the capture of another 250 as hostages. These actions have triggered a humanitarian disaster and a trial over alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice. Despite ongoing negotiations for a permanent cease-fire and the release of captives, no resolution has been reached yet.
