Gen. Itzhak Brik has described last Tuesday’s parliamentary election results as the “official death certificate of the State of Israel as we knew it,” warning that the Israeli regime is facing an irreversible collapse across its military, economy and political institutions after years of prolonged warfare, international isolation and deepening internal divisions.
In an opinion article published Sunday in Israel’s Maariv daily, Brik accused the country’s political and media establishment of overlooking the scale of the crisis, focusing instead on parliamentary seats and coalition negotiations while the foundations of the state continued to deteriorate.
“The official death certificate of the State of Israel as we knew it,” he wrote, describing television commentators as an orchestra playing aboard the Titanic in its final moments.
Brik argued that the election results reflected a much deeper breakdown than political fragmentation, warning that Israel had lost international legitimacy and key allies and was increasingly becoming an international pariah amid mounting opposition to its policies, including the genocide in Gaza and continued occupation.
“We have lost legitimacy and allies,” he wrote, warning that the country could not withstand prolonged international isolation.
The former military commander also warned that the Israeli army was undergoing structural collapse, with declining morale and an exhausted ground force increasingly unable to confront simultaneous security threats or protect civilians in a wider regional war.
The military crisis, he said, was accompanied by mounting economic pressures. Brik put Israel’s national debt at 1.4 trillion shekels ($445 billion), warning that potential sanctions, arms restrictions and growing financial isolation could further undermine the economy and threaten Israelis’ savings.
He also dismissed prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to use cryptocurrencies to circumvent possible European sanctions as naive and absurd.
Meanwhile, Brik described Israeli society as being consumed by a “silent civil war,” warning that doctors, scientists, technology entrepreneurs and other skilled professionals were leaving, draining the country of expertise accumulated over decades.
He further accused the political leadership of weakening the rule of law and public institutions by prioritizing political loyalty over professional competence and integrity.
The election results underscored the depth of the political deadlock, with Netanyahu’s bloc securing 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for the opposition led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot and 19 for Arab parties. Neither bloc secured the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.