Israel today is grappling not with the battlefield alone, but with a far subtler, far more consequential collapse: the evaporation of confidence among its own citizens. Recent data from the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) paints a disquieting picture. According to the April 2025 survey, more than a quarter of Israelis — approximately 27 per ent — are seriously contemplating leaving the country. For a nation long mythologised as resilient, cohesive, and invincible, these numbers represent not just a shift in sentiment, but an existential fissure.

The timing of the survey amplifies its significance. Conducted before major escalations such as the Israel-Iran war and the high-profile hostage negotiations, the poll nevertheless reflects the early tremors of disillusionment. Israelis’ faith in their nation’s future is faltering; many no longer believe they can reclaim what has been lost. Where once narratives of unity, social cohesion, and collective endurance flourished — particularly after the horror of Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack — a more sober, anxious, and fractured consciousness is taking root.

To understand this shift, one must first recognise the ideological scaffolding Israel has relied upon for decades. The state’s social and political narrative rested on four pillars: moral clarity, military superiority, unshakeable Western backing, and social cohesion. Each has been critically undermined. Moral clarity has been called into question by the protracted, devastating campaign in Gaza, which has drawn global condemnation for its humanitarian toll. Military supremacy, once a cornerstone of national pride, has been challenged by asymmetrical engagements, extended hostilities, and mounting civilian casualties. Western support, once presumed immutable, is now increasingly conditional and contested in international forums. And social cohesion — long celebrated as a unifying force across diverse ethnic, religious, and political lines — has splintered along multiple fronts, from intra-Jewish ideological divides to tensions with Palestinian citizens of Israel, to discontent among settlers and peripheral communities.

The survey reveals something more than mere dissatisfaction. It reflects a profound disengagement from the Zionist promise........

© Middle East Monitor