Tens of thousands have left 'Israel' in 'great migration': Report
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Israeli settlers are flocking out of occupied Palestine as tensions rise and the occupation's losses mount.
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Two planes are parked at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Monday September 2, 2024. (AP)
In a report titled "The Great Migration," the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post revealed Sunday a surge in the number of Israelis leaving the occupied territories due to the ongoing war. The report highlights a wave of migration not seen since the occupation of Palestine, with the numbers reaching unprecedented levels.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli occupation is currently experiencing "record migration rates," with approximately 40,600 individuals leaving this year alone, a figure that has no historical precedent.
The newspaper emphasized that many Israeli settlers are emigrating in large numbers, "taking with them their money, education, and professional skills," warning that these trends could pose long-term damage to the Israeli occupation.
The report indicates that during the first seven months of 2023, around 40,600 Israelis left occupied Palestine—an average of 2,200 people per month more than in 2022. This mass departure is part of a stark trend.
59% more long-term migrants in first seven months of 2023
In 2023, 55,400 people emigrated in a sharp increase compared to the average of 37,100 people per year over the past decade.
The migration surge intensified during the summer months, with the number of migrants rising from an average of 5,200 per month in the first five months of the year to 7,300 in June and July. The newspaper reported that the number of "long-term migrants," as defined by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, increased by 59% during the first seven months of 2023.
The newspaper also noted that young adults in their twenties and thirties comprised 40% of the emigrants, despite representing only 27% of the population. This trend, it said, indicates that the occupation is "losing a significant portion of its workforce" as many of these individuals enter the job market, pursue studies, or undergo training abroad.
In addition, the report highlighted that in 2023, 59% of the emigrants were born abroad, while 41% were born in the occupied Palestinian territories. Of those born outside Palestine, 80% were from Europe, with the majority (72%) coming from the former Soviet Union.
Earlier reports from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics described these migration patterns as "alarming," particularly following the outbreak of the Operation al-Aqsa Flood between 2023 and 2024, further exacerbating the exodus.
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 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%.
