As Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime continues its relentless military campaigns across West Asia, Israel’s economy is buckling under $57 billion in war expenditures, draining resources from agriculture, education, and housing, while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of its militaristic
According to the latest report from Israel’s ministry of war, since the launch of its war on October 7, 2023, the regime has funneled $57 billion into military operations, excluding the substantial annual military aid provided by the United States.
In a recent escalation, following a ceasefire with Iran, the Israeli army requested an additional $12 billion to be added to the defense budget for 2025 and 2026.
This would push the 2025 military budget to $41.58 billion — nearly 7% of Israel’s total GDP. The finance ministry has approved this increase, claiming it will only add 0.5% to the current 5% deficit, a claim many view as politically motivated.
While defense spending skyrockets, other sectors are collapsing. A severe drought has gripped the occupied territories, but the finance ministry has withheld $68 million in emergency agricultural relief, despite professional advisories and prior agreements with the agriculture ministry.
Israel’s agriculture ministry estimates the current drought has caused $15 million in damages, and without rainfall in the coming months, losses could soar past $44 million. The Netanyahu government, fully aware of this crisis, allocated nothing in the 2025 budget for mitigation, prioritizing instead military and coalition funding — particularly for ultra-Orthodox parties.
Meanwhile, Israel’s education system is decaying. As reported by Israel Hayom, thousands of students begin the academic year in temporary shelters, caravans, and warehouses due to severe classroom shortages.
This infrastructure crisis is directly tied to a 42% decline in public construction since the war began, driven by a shortage of labor. Over 100,000 foreign and Palestinian workers left Israel after October 2023, citing instability and danger. The regime, in its paranoia, now blocks permits for West Bank Palestinians to return to work.
As a result, housing and school construction have slowed to a crawl. Property prices are rising, classroom space is shrinking, and the regime offers no relief, transferring the financial burden to ordinary residents.
The education ministry is reportedly pursuing stopgap measures — cramming children into poorly ventilated, overcrowded, unsafe buildings. Some kindergartens operate on busy streets without playgrounds or adequate heating.
These temporary structures were never meant to be permanent, yet they have remained in use for years due to chronic underfunding. With no meaningful allocation in the new budget, the collapse will persist into the coming school year.
What emerges is a regime obsessed with warfare, systematically deprioritizing civilian life. Budget imbalances, inflation, and debt are rising — all traceable to Israel’s militarized doctrine.
For Netanyahu, war is not a necessity; it is a political strategy. But for the people trapped inside the occupation’s borders, it is an economic death sentence.
