Netanyahu and the opioid epidemic: Israel’s failure to combat psychological disorders in a crumbling society

The Zionist regime is currently facing numerous political crises, substantial demographic shifts, and widening social fault lines. Holding five rounds of legislative elections in less than four years is incontrovertible proof of Israel’s political turmoil.

Moreover, the class divisions and concentration of political and financial resources in the hands of the Haredi religious movement, to the detriment of the secular communities, have deteriorated the severity of the social crisis within Israel and gradually torn its fragile social fabric.

In light of these uncertain circumstances, many Zionist officials have sounded the alarm over the last few years, expressing concern over the imminent internal collapse of Israel.

According to the assessments of the Internal Security Council of the Zionist regime, the volatile status in occupied Palestine is the most salient existential threat that Israel must confront. In this regard, most of the Zionist settlers in the occupied West Bank consider that Israel’s internal threats and social crises pose a more vital threat than an Iranian danger.

In a recent article in the Hebrew-language daily Ma’ariv, Abraham Frank, a distinguished Israeli expert on educational affairs, lamented the lack of will and determination to address Israel’s precarious political and socioeconomic situation and its ill-omened destiny due to political machinations, poor management, and the avarice of corrupt politicians, which have dragged Israel to the brink of the dark abyss of ultimate extinction.

Frank addressed the newly-elected Zionist notorious Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu: “The question you have to answer according to your political agenda is, will you permit the ultra-orthodox allies of your cabinet to employ their huge power to do whatever they want with Israel?”

Frank also warned about the “reverse migration [Yerida] of secular Israelis” from the occupied Palestinian territories, adding: “There will be a massive exodus of Israelis to other countries.” “Do you [Netanyahu] know how to preserve the critical [secular] minority before it slips through your fingers and fades away before it is too late?

In the meantime, one-seventh of Israelis are drug addicts, reflecting the pervasive psychological disorders in Israeli society.

According to Israeli health authorities, the circumstances are particularly alarming since patients must wait for one to three months for a simple checkup, six to twelve months for treatment, and lengthy queues for admission in mental institutions.

According to Mia Aiden, an economic analyst for Israel’s Channel 13, “Everyone is discussing the outcomes of the Knesset elections, living circumstances, and skyrocketing inflation rates, but we should also consider other crucial topics: one out of every seven Israelis is an addict, and drug and alcohol addiction has climbed by 15% in the past year.”

“The surge of drug abuse and alcohol addiction among teenagers is an extremely troubling matter.” The two-year-long COVID-19 pandemic, the volatile security situation, and the deteriorating economy are contributing factors. Whether we are talking about drugs or drug addiction, all of them are indicators of Israel’s collectively disturbed mental condition. “The availability of mental health care has diminished, and only 10% of individuals seek mental treatment, whilst the conditions in the private sector are appalling.”