Surge in number of Israeli settlers leaving occupied territories

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
13 Oct 2024 08:21
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The first seven months of the current year saw 40,000 Israeli settlers leaving the occupied territories, tripling the rate of emigration prior to the war.

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Travelers are seen at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP)

Recent figures have revealed a notable rise in Israeli settlers leaving occupied territories since the start of "Israel's" war on Gaza in early October last year, Israeli media reported.

The first seven months of the current year saw 40,000 settlers emigrate, tripling the rate of emigration prior to the aggression, with an additional 2,000 settlers leaving each month compared to previous years, the Israeli newspaper Maariv pointed out.

Furthermore, nearly one million settlers have obtained foreign passports in recent years as a precaution in the event of a full-scale war, the website added.

In terms of financial transfers, Maariv highlighted that Israeli settlers transferred $7 billion abroad in deposits during the first seven months of the year.

It also pointed to a "brain drain" phenomenon, as many of the emigrants included doctors, scientists, pharmacists, and high-tech experts.

This comes as factions of the Axis of Resistance - the Palestinian Resistance, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon and Iraq, and the Yemeni Armed Forces have been carrying out non-stop military operations against Israeli targets in occupied territories, dealing the occupation regime strategic blows.

Last month, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) indicated a sharp increase in the number of Israeli settlers permanently leaving the occupied territories in 2022 and the first half of 2023.

According to figures cited by the Israeli Channel 13, around 31,000 Israelis were declared as having emigrated in 2021 (compared to 29,000 who came), 38,000 were declared as such in 2022 (with 23,000 coming), while in 2023, 55,300 were recorded as having moved abroad (with 27,000 coming), marking an increase of over 50%.

The report indicated that approximately 40,400 Israeli settlers left the occupied territories.

In July, the Israeli Channel 12 cited CBS data showing that the number of Israeli settlers permanently leaving occupied lands surged after the Palestinian Resistance carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.

Also in July, Israeli media reported on a large number of Israeli settlers leaving occupied Palestine with no intention of returning, revealing a significant increase in Israeli "reverse migration".

The Israeli Channel 13, citing data, described the situation as "very harsh", noting that there has indeed been a large increase in the number of Israeli settlers who have left occupied Palestine.

Lee Yaron, a writer for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and author of the book "October Seventh", said data show that 5,000 Israeli settlers cut their stay in "Israel" since October, standing for a 150% increase compared to the previous year between October and July.

Yaron pointed out that those who cut their stay are young with children, and they confirmed that "they prefer to start their lives in another place," noting that "those who cut their residencies talk about not feeling safe because of the war."