‘Surge in suicides among Israeli troops unveils regime's inability to foster assimilation'

A senior Palestinian political researcher insists the sharp rise in suicide cases among Israeli military personnel exposes the inability of Tel Aviv regime's military and intelligence institutions to socially integrate immigrants and Zionist extremists whom they import into the occupied territories under Aliyah (Jewish immigration into occupied Palestine).

Dr. Abu Imad al-Rifai told the Press TV website in an exclusive interview on Thursday that Israeli media outlets go all-out to portray the army as powerful as possible, and depict it as an efficient apparatus with regards to social integration and capable of prescribing Jewish immigrants the standards of Zionism.

Rifai noted that soaring suicide cases among Israeli forces have, however, cast serious doubt on the ability of the military to accomplish social integration.

The political commentator went on to highlight that a report published by the Hebrew-language Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on September 25, 2022 substantiates such a fact, pointing out that 14 Israeli soldiers committed suicide on duty, representing the highest figure recorded in five years.

According to the report, 11 soldiers took their own lives in 2021 while fourteen others died by suicide in 2012. Six Israeli soldiers committed suicide the following year. Overall, eighty-nine soldiers killed themselves between 2014 and 2020.

Rifai added that official statistics demonstrate that the Israeli regime registers more than 500 suicides each year and over 6000 cases of attempted suicide, noting that 23 percent of such figures has never been released to the public or reported by Israeli media.

The analyst further emphasized that 1,710 requests were made in 2020 by Israeli soldiers for mental and psychological treatment services, of which 26 troops were in critical condition and on the brink of suicide. The figures show that nearly a third of the soldiers who perished on duty that year -- an average of nine soldiers -- had committed suicide.

According to data from the Information and Research Center of the Knesset (Israeli parliament), 123 suicide cases were registered between 2007 and 2012 in the Israeli-occupied territories. The statics show that most of those who committed suicide (82%) were serving military service and not involved in combat.

The research goes on to underline that the average cases of suicides were recorded in the 18-21 age bracket, and 63 percent of those who took their own lives were born in the occupied territories.

It states that the number of people who have been granted exemptions due to psychological problems has increased from 4.5 percent in 2015 to 8.5 percent in 2020.

Rifai also stressed that research studies carried out by the Israeli military do not offer a cogent reason for the real causes and motives of soldiers committing suicide during mandatory military service, and instead indicate the inability of the army to create a sense of psychological security for troops.

The Palestinian commentator further added that those who investigate Israeli media reports about the issue point to the following factors as the causes of surging suicides among Israeli troops.

Firstly, one could mention the increasing fear and concern about the state of constant readiness as waiting for death is more lethal than death itself. Atop these reasons lies diverse retaliatory operations by Palestinian resistance groups, launch of missiles and rockets from the Gaza Strip, large-scale military drills by the Israeli army and rampant fear and anxiety over a military confrontation.

One should also refer to the Israeli cabinet’s threats of waging a war on multiple fronts, in which thousands of rockets will be fired at the heart of the occupied territories on a daily basis.

Secondly, the Israeli military has failed to foster social integration and the society has turned into an environment for discriminatory and coercive practices. Haaretz newspaper once reported that among the Zionists living in the occupied territories the suicide rate among members of Falash Mura community has increased by four folds.

Meanwhile, the recruitment department of the Israeli army has found that 95 percent of the suicides are committed by men. On the other hand, data shows that suicide cases among youths from Falash Mura community that originally come from Ethiopia are also on the rise.

The third reason could be referred to as desperation to realize Zionist ideals -- especially in view of the fact that a number of veteran Israeli politicians and leaders, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have announced that the entity will cease to exist before the 80th anniversary of its 1948 establishment. Israeli president Isaac Herzog has also warned of the outbreak of a civil war.

Rifai finally noted that these factor and many others, namely poverty, economic stagnation, family issues and escalation of disputes between religious and secular people, point to the ongoing collapse and disintegration of the Israeli regime.

The Israeli military has failed to realize social integration and form a unified society. As a result, the Tel Aviv regime is losing one of the most significant elements of its survival and sustainability, namely the military, the analyst concluded.

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