Gaza war will have ‘irreparable’ consequences on Israel, security expert says

An Israeli security expert warned that if an alternative to continuing a war on Gaza is not found soon, the damage to Israel will be "irreparable", Arab48 reported.

Ofer Shelah, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, specified the damage would be done to "Israel, its army, its economy and its well-being".

Shelah, who is also the former chairman of the Knesset’s foreign affairs and security committee, added there was a clear political address with Iran and Lebanon, where an agreement can be reached, however in Gaza, the situation is different.

He pointed out that the far-right in Israel and "an absence of Israeli political initiative are leading Israel to an actual occupation of the Strip…this is happening without public debate".

He also noted that Israel’s actions in north Gaza, where the army has placed residents under siege for a month while bombarding it, has been widely covered in the international press and has been denounced as war crimes.

"Pretending Israel is not responsible may succeed internally…but this is a step that cannot be reversed and would position Israel as a law-breaking state, the kind that cannot be traded with, that cannot be supplied with weapons – and the declaration of an arms embargo by friendly countries is just the beginning…" he continued.

Unemployment soaring

Meanwhile, the rate of unemployment in Israel rose from 4 percent in August to 4.6 percent in late September, with more than 31,000 workers becoming unemployed in the last two years, Arab48 also reported.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of unemployed people last month in Israel stood at 211,900 people.

The legal advisor to the Arab Workers Union in Nazareth, Wahba Badarna, told Arab48, that the data published in September shows a rise in unemployment due to the war on Gaza in October 2023.

He added that since Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon in early October, unemployment has soared even more due to many more areas being classified as dangerous.

"There are several reasons behind the high unemployment rates, most importantly is the northern region of Kiryat Shmona to Haifa is suffering from complete economic paralysis as they are being targeted, and these areas depend on agriculture and other industries, which have all stopped," he said.

He also said any work related to hotels, tourism, restaurants and other services such as wedding halls have been totally disrupted in the north of the country, forcing many businesses to close and thousands of employees to become unemployed.

The report noted that around 32 percent of businesses have closed their doors due to a lack of customers in the north, while many others are struggling due to a lack of Palestinian workers.

Badarna pointed out that unemployment rates have had a greater impact on Palestinians, especially those in the occupied West Bank, and Palestinian citizens of Israel who do not receive allowances.

"Ultimately, the one who is harmed the most is the Arab community and the Arab workers, since they make up the largest percentage of the workforce in our society, and also Arabs do not get allowances that are given to soldiers and Jewish citizens".

In July, Israeli media reported that around 46,000 businesses were forced to close in Israel since the start of the war on 7 October.

The Hebrew Maariv newspaper said Israel was in "collapse" as a result, and that some of the main industries affected were furniture, fashion, houseware items, entertainment and transport.

The CEO of an Israeli credit risk management firm under the name CofaceBdi told the Hebrew paper that other sectors have also been impacted.

"The most vulnerable industries are the construction industry, and as a result the entire ecosystem that operates around it, ceramics, air conditioning, aluminium, building materials and more," he added.