What’s Going On Inside Israel Right Now?
Ongoing impressions from the Israeli media
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I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Israeli media since Israel launched its unprovoked attack on Iran. Below is a spread of what I am finding there.
• The Israeli media have always been subjected to the military censor — which essentially means the Government. Except for fluff, no newspaper, TV or Radio station can publish or air anything without the direct approval of the military censor. As you would expect, the censorship and control are now tighter than ever. But you can still learn a lot from what is not being said or how things are reported. You can also read between the lines if you know something about Israeli society.
• There is, obviously, a great deal of sabre rattling, and triumphalism. However, Israel is grossly ‘exaggerating their military successes’, as a professor interviewed just a couple of hours ago said in a live interview on Kan11, a government TV channel. The insufferably smug presenter did not like the professor’s sober and rational analysis, which argued that Israel has not achieved as much in Iran as it would like its people to believe. The professor reminded the presenter that Iran is a huge country with a lot of people, and that while Israel has successfully damaged a few particular targets, it cannot expect to overcome such a big country.
In answer to her question about whether the opposition in Iran is rising against their government, the professor reminded her that when a people are under threat they tend to unite, and put their differences aside (as the presenter should well know from her life in Israel). At some point the somewhat unsettled presenter said to this Professor: “You’re hurting our national pride”… She wasn’t joking. She was genuinely uncomfortable hearing the truth, which goes against the directive of the broadcaster and their editorial policy. But she could not just cut him off in the middle of an interview. As soon as the interview was over, the relentless barrage of propaganda and triumphalism resumed. In a cult-state like Israel the media are always ready to rouse and foment patriotic emotion and zeal.
• The damage on the ground in Israel is far more extensive than people realise. The Israeli population is less interested in the success of their military, when they fear for their very survival, and have lost their homes. A normal flat in Israel—most people live in flats—costs millions of Shekels, and the housing situation there is dire. In addition to those whose homes have been directly hit, thousands of people, including entire families are evacuated from buildings whose structure is compromised by shockwaves from missiles, and by damage from shrapnel that is falling on the ground from intercepted missile.
• Israelis are not used to war in the streets of their cities, not since Saddam Hussain scud missile attacks in 1991. Areas in Israel’s cities and towns are looking increasingly like Gaza.
• Since that 1991 Iraqi scud attack, Israel has introduced building regulations to install something they call ‘protective spaces’. I didn’t know what they were and then discovered they’re basically concrete boxes that are fitted into flats and buildings for people to hide in. In places constructed before ‘protective spaces’ regulations were introduced, people could buy ready made ones and install them in their flat, if there is room and if they could afford them. There are certified and non-certified versions of these boxes; the non-certified obviously are cheaper and poorer quality. In the Tel Aviv satellite town of Petach Tikvah a missile hit one of those ‘protective spaces’ directly in a flat on the fourth floor of an apartment building killing the couple sheltering inside. In another attack in the same town, a missile exploded between two of those boxes killing everyone. The psychology behind these things is more important than their physical function. A civilian population that feels powerless to protect itself is dangerous. Powerlessness generates rage which can translate to anti-government riots. Back in 1991, when concerns were raised that Saddam Hussain might use chemical warheads, the Israeli government distributed gas masks to every citizen. Those of us who had training in chemical warfare could see immediately that those masks would be useless against nerve gas, which enters the body through exposed skin. Gas masks can only protect against gas that enters through the respiratory system. In other words, it was completely nonsensical. If Saddam Hussain actually used chemical warheads, countless would have died while wearing gas masks. I never bothered putting mine on.... But people needed to feel that they could do something to protect themselves. Something tells me that those boxes, which look increasingly like death traps are intended to fulfil the same function.
• As the impact of the missiles grows, Israeli society’s faith in those ‘protective spaces’ falters. In response, the media are bringing in experts to do damage control, and convince people that it’s still safer to shelter in one of those boxes than not to. But missile attacks are messy and random. They cause harm in a number of complex ways, including shock waves caused by kinetic energy, which can flatten entire streets even at a considerable distance from where a missile touches the ground and explodes.
• Many residential buildings have bomb shelters, but older buildings don’t. I grew up in Bat Yam, which has suffered severe damage in the past few days, including to the building in which I grew up. I was able to identify it from a report on the government’s TV channel. That building was built in the early 1960s, and we did have a bomb shelter. But many blocks of flats from the 1950s were built cheaply and in a hurry, and do not have shelters. In 1991 I lived in one of those older buildings in Ramat Gan. The point is there is a great disparity in the population between those who can enjoy relative safety, and those who don’t.
• Some of the most deprived areas in greater Tel Aviv are in B’nei Brak, a predominantly religious orthodox area. It is an overcrowded neighbourhood with old infrastructure and residential buildings without shelters. There was a public outcry after B’nei Brak was hit by missiles, because apparently public shelters were all locked, and people couldn’t get in. One shelter in a local school that could be used by local residents was inaccessible because the school had been locked. This was mostly because of local authority incompetence, and something like, ‘so and so had the key but we couldn’t get hold of them’… Local councillors tried to calm the situation, but this is yet another example of Israelis losing faith in their authorities—not to mention how the ‘have-nots’ fare so much worse under Israel’s wild jungle capitalism.
• The media in Israel are under orders not to disclose where Iranian missiles hit. This is standard procedure so that Iran can’t aim better, or evaluate its success in its retaliatory attack against Israel. They mention names of towns or cities but would never name specific streets and are careful with the footage they show. However, it is clear enough that the damage is extensive and also widespread far beyond Tel Aviv.
• No one knows the real number of casualties in Israel. They’ve stopped reporting it, except mentioning one person here or there. There is a good chance there are people trapped under the rubble in many places. Israel won’t advertise the numbers, because it is bad for the already faltering public morale. It also doesn’t want the Iranians to have that information.
• Israel’s gross economic inequalities are widely exposed now. With the poor, and not just in B’nei Brak, hit much harder, and not having anywhere to go once their flats are destroyed. Poorer people are renting and don’t own the flats they live in. Whatever support system the Israeli government has seems chaotic and arbitrary, and it is crumbling already, because it cannot cope with the extent of the damage. There are already fights between the state authorities and local authorities. 1991 was a walk in the park by comparison.
There have been reports of disabled people unable to get to shelters. Israel is not a lovely fluffy society that takes care of its citizens. It’s harsh, unkind, and ruthless. Israelis are bonded together by a shared sense of threat created by heavy cult-like lifelong indoctrination and fear-mongering. But fear is a poor social glue that is not a substitute for real and resilient social cohesion. Fear as a social glue can only hold so far when a society is in crisis.
• Israel has started to deploy an increasing number of high ranking military brass to the ‘home front’ to manage things there. Civil Defence is not coping anymore. It means the damage to civilian areas is so extensive the government has to take away valuable personnel from the real ‘war’.
• Compared with the original coverage from the first two or three days, things are now much tighter. It’s clear that the media are under orders to try and show only reports that are ‘uplifting’, avoid interviewing people who are desperate, frightened or angry with the government, or air stories of people who have been directly harmed. This controlled psychological approach is not changing the facts on the ground, or people’s lived experience.
• The original personal stories of people whose properties have been damaged are now being replaced by segments—some of which I suspect are staged—involving Israeli Jews from Iranian background talking about Iran and how horrible that country is. It is also surreal and bizarre to see a programme featuring an Israeli woman who was born in Iran and whose family left when she was a teenager, cooking in her fancy kitchen, talking about Iranian recipes and ingredients… Israeli society does not realise how bizarre it is.
• Israel’s airspace is closed, so the government started to operate flights via Cyprus to repatriate Israeli citizens who were overseas while Israel attacked Iran. It turns out some people are ‘more equal than others’. It appears these government sponsored flights are not the benevolent government operation you would expect. ‘Important’, better-connected people, or those who are more useful for the ‘war effort’ have been prioritised. There is already discontent about that. The TV is showing absurd images of people arriving back kissing the ground—an old Israeli Zionist symbolic gesture.
• There was a story in Yediot Ahronot yesterday about a woman skipper who can only be described as profiteering from the situation. It was presented as a feminist success story of a woman who ventured into getting a skipper’s licence, encouraging other women to do the same. But the truth is she is just a simple profiteer who found a niche to make money. She rented a yacht and is charging good money from groups of Israeli citizens who want to leave the country, and who cannot fly out because the airspace is closed. I suspect that this woman is not alone, and there are others doing the same thing.
• It is harder for Israel to maintain a patriotic spirit in a population that is now getting a taste of its own medicine, and is feeling increasingly desperate and disillusioned. I have nothing but empathy for the poor children, babies and animals who are terrified and have no idea what’s going on and why it’s happening to them. I feel the same empathy to those children that I do to the tens of thousands of Palestinian children and babies intentionally targeted, traumatised, maimed and murdered by Israel in Gaza. I never forget the thousands of Palestinian children raped, abused and traumatised in adult Israeli prisons for decades. I abhor violence of any kind, and Israel is a violent, militant society. My sense is that no matter how much damage Israel is inflicting on others, it is fundamentally self-destructive.
• Netanyahu is glaringly absent. The rumour is that he is in Cyprus. It means he and his cabinet assess that nowhere in Israel is safe for them. I’m sure this isn’t lost on Israeli society, which is crumbling.
• Israel’s economy has come to a complete halt, and the situation is much worse than it was during Covid. Everything is closed, and most people are not working. I can imagine the supply chains to supermarkets are broken, and it’s going to get worse. There has been some talk from the government about ‘re-opening the economy’, but I can’t imagine people leaving their families to go to the office in the morning when missiles can hit anywhere at any time.
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has just announced, as reported on Israel’s state TV, that anyone whose home suffered damage will receive a one-off payment of ₪500 (Approx. US $140, or £105). It won’t go far to help people who have just lost everything, and apparently the number of calls from affected people is huge and growing by the minute. I suspect the price of everything is already skyrocketing.
Context
• The Israeli media report that the US is still not sure whether to become directly involved in this ‘war’. As the Israeli media reported from the start, the US has always been involved and was well aware of Israel’s plans to attack Iran. Trump’s declarations about negotiations with Iran were just a ruse to deflect attention from Israel’s plans, and enable it to have the element of surprise. Without the US, Israel’s initial attack on Iran would not be possible. The Israeli press is clear that the success of this entire ‘operation’ against Iran depends on the US becoming directly involved.
• Anyone worried about the US nuking Iran, should probably not worry about it too much. Israel’s goal has always been to eliminate Iran’s support for the Palestinians, so Israel wouldn’t mind if Iran is nuked. But the US wants Iranian oil. Nuking Iran would make it impossible for the US to do in Iran what it did in Iraq. Nuclear fallout doesn’t obey national borders. Even a relatively small tactical nuclear weapon would have widespread and devastating impact, which could affect US bases and allies across the border from Iran. Nuclear fallout can even reach Israel. It would enter the water supply, and no one would be safe. Is Israel crazy and belligerent enough to use a nuke? It’s possible. But the US will not be pleased at all.
• Israel has been rumoured to have between 200-300 nuclear warheads ready to deploy. Israel has never signed or ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran is currently a signatory to the NPT (since 1970), but is now threatening to withdraw because of Israel’s unprovoked attack. Either way, the contrast is notable. Israel remains the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons—despite never officially acknowledging its arsenal or being a signatory to the NPT. Iran, on the other hand, maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has been subject to, and complied with international inspections under the NPT framework.
• While all eyes are on the new war front, Israel is tightening its grip on the colonised West Bank, which is under complete lockdown. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had ordered preparations for the annexation of the occupied West Bank ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump taking office in January 2025. Smotrich said he had instructed the Defence Ministry’s Settlement Directorate and Civil Administration to lay the groundwork for annexation. Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation was expected to approve a bill on 2nd March this year that will enable the annexation of West Bank settlements around Jerusalem. It will create ‘Metropolitan Jerusalem’, which would incorporate nearby West Bank settlements, fully Annexing them to Israel.
According to Mondoweiss (12th June 2025),
“Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved a decision to resume the land registry process for lands in Area C of the West Bank after decades of freezing. The decision entails grave consequences for Palestinian ownership of land in what constitutes 60% of the West Bank, as it puts an end to the treatment of Palestinian lands in Area C as occupied territory — instead treating them as a part of Israel.”
While Israel is getting ready to complete its takeover of the colonised West Bank, the attacks on Gaza continue in full force. Nothing Israel does is by chance and when you look at Israel’s actions, it is important to pay close attention to timing.
Anyone who is still supporting Israel, suggesting the situation is ‘complicated’ or that the problem is with the Iranian regime, or Iran’s nuclear programme needs to look at the facts carefully, and be grounded in history. Israel’s ultimate goal is to eliminate all Palestinian presence from historic Palestine, no matter the cost. The rich, capitalist classes in Israel are also looking at how they can profiteer from all of this, how Gaza and the West Bank can be ‘developed’ as they become inseparable parts of Israel. Whether they are Zionists or not these people see dollar signs.
Israel is currently securing territories in Syria and South Lebanon to dump millions of Palestinians it’s hoping to ethnically cleanse from the West Bank and from inside Israel. Missiles may be raining down, but Israel’s settler-colonial project continues in full force.
Israel is a major threat to everyone, but it’s also stretched thin. That’s why the Israeli media openly say that Israel cannot complete this ‘operation’, or campaign without direct US involvement, which means US forces joining in the fighting alongside Israeli forces, and having soldiers on the ground. In other words, it requires the US to be prepared to sacrifice the lives of its own soldiers to continue to enable Israel’s genocide. Trump cannot be trusted, and nothing he says means much the second after he utters or ‘truth socials’ it. It remains to be seen if he is prepared to risk becoming even more unpopular at home when US soldiers begin to die for Israel.
A ‘war’ with Iran was necessary to Israel because the world’s opinion was starting to shift because of the obvious genocide in Gaza. Israel is hoping to restore the ‘poor little Israel only defending itself from the terrible Iranians’ story, while distracting from the wider genocide of the Palestinian people.
And this isn’t war. This is wholesale carnage perpetrated by a rogue, settler-colonial state determined to have its exclusively, ‘racially-pure’, Jewish state no matter who gets hurt, including its own (mainly economically deprived) people.
Israel must be stopped. There has never been any justification for anyone in the world to support Israel and enable it, and yet we are watching our own countries doing just that.
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Thanks for this, Avigail. I always appreciate your perspective and insights.
"A ‘war’ with Iran was necessary to Israel because the world’s opinion was starting to shift because of the obvious genocide in Gaza. Israel is hoping to restore the ‘poor little Israel only defending itself from the terrible Iranians’ story, while distracting from the wider genocide of the Palestinian people.
And this isn’t war. This is wholesale carnage perpetrated by a rogue, settler-colonial state determined to have its exclusively, ‘racially-pure’, Jewish state no matter who gets hurt, including its own (mainly economically deprived) people.
Israel must be stopped. There has never been any justification for anyone in the world to support Israel and enable it, and yet we are watching our own countries doing just that."
Thank you for a detailed article on the truth about Israel!