Reverse Migration Rocks Israel as Resistance Strikes Intensify Across the Region
The Israeli regime is grappling with an alarming rise in reverse migration as occupied Palestinian territories increasingly become perilous due to the intensified attacks by factions of the Resistance Axis within Palestine, supported by allied fronts in Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon. This growing departure has led to a near-complete halt in incoming migration to the occupied territories, further tightening the economic stranglehold on the Israeli entity.
Israeli media outlets have confirmed that the rate of military personnel and civilians fleeing the occupied territories has surged, driven by the looming threat of a coordinated Yemeni-Iranian response and the targeted operations by Hezbollah, particularly in retaliation for the assassination of Commander Fuad Shukr. Channel 12, a leading Hebrew broadcaster, reported that most of those who have fled since November last year have no intention of returning, having already begun to fully relocate their lives abroad. This trend signifies the crumbling of the Israeli project and the growing mistrust among settlers in blood-handed Netanyahu’s government.
Last month, the Times of Israel highlighted that by the end of June, half a million Jews had left and had not returned within the first six months of the conflict. Whether this exodus is temporary or marks a permanent shift remains uncertain, but it undeniably signals the beginning of the Zionist bloc’s disintegration.
In addition, Hebrew-language newspapers have noted a resurgence in outward migration from “Israel” since the threats of significant strikes by Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon. This exodus has accelerated this year, according to Israeli sources.
Reports from Israeli media, including the economic newspaper The Marker, suggest that the so-called “Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics” is deliberately concealing the true scale of this reverse migration. These sources indicate that alongside the exodus, incoming migration to “Israel” dropped by 70% in the early months of the conflict. Between October 7 and November 29, 2023, only 2,000 Jews arrived, compared to the usual 4,500 per month, according to the so-called Israeli Immigration Authority. This decline has only steepened in the last two months.
In response to the mass exodus, the Israeli government has been forced to introduce tax exemptions for homebuyers in the settlements. According to the Zionist newspaper Globes, the government has expanded these tax breaks for new arrivals starting this month in a bid to attract more Jews and counter the reverse migration trend.
Globes detailed that the previous arrangement, designed to aid new immigrants, was far from ideal. Under the old regulation (Regulation 12), a 0.5% tax was imposed on the purchase of “property rights” worth up to 2 million shekels (approximately $546,142), and the rate increasing to 5% for higher-value properties. This policy allowed new immigrants to purchase a home within a year before or seven years after immigrating to occupied Palestine, even if the property was not used for residence—permitting investment properties under the new system and additional homes for personal use under the old system.
Beyond the military migration crisis, these tax incentives are also costing the Israeli treasury millions of dollars, compounding the economic losses incurred due to reverse migration. This phenomenon presents a series of dilemmas for the Israeli regime.
The Israeli economy is plummeting daily, facing a growing budget deficit compounded by severe economic losses from Yemeni strikes and Hezbollah’s operations targeting the usurped settlements. The deficit has reached approximately $20 billion since the beginning of this year, while most vital economic sectors within the Israeli entity have come to a standstill due to declining imports and exports caused by the closure of the Umm al-Rashrash “Eilat” port by Yemeni decree and the targeting of Israeli ships across a vast maritime theater.