As general elections planned for October 27 draw closer in Israel, a secret report allegedly prepared by the CIA has raised concerns over the country’s political and social tensions. The report claims that Israel faces the risk of civil war or political collapse.
The report alleges that years of war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have deepened political, economic and social divisions, while economic pressures, political polarization and the conscription crisis have further increased tensions.
Mounting pressures ahead of the elections
In addition to the economic crisis and rising military spending, the report listed severe psychological trauma experienced by some soldiers returning from three years of conflict among the causes of the internal crisis.
It claims that opinion polls ahead of Israel’s general elections show the opposition bloc in the lead, but without enough seats to form a government.
Conscription and violence in the West Bank
The report says the dispute over conscription has further deepened the divide between secular and religious segments of society. It claims that exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, from military service has become a major source of public unrest.
It also says that escalating violence by Israelis who seize Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank has worsened the country’s internal problems.
Netanyahu-linked crisis and alleged foreign isolation
The report claims that Israel’s power struggle has produced a separate political crisis centered on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It says Netanyahu has led Israel’s most right-wing government in the country’s history since December 2022.
The report alleges that Israel has become isolated internationally and warns that declining support in the United States and the country’s emergence as a “semi-pariah state” could increase the risk of disintegration.
The report also alleges that Netanyahu faces corruption charges in Israel that carry prison sentences. It further claims that Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.
