Brain Drain Escalates in Israel After the Al-Aqsa Flood

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Occupied Jerusalem - Since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023, Israel has been experiencing an unprecedented wave of emigration. However, what distinguishes the year 2024 is not only the number of emigrants reaching about 30,000 Jews, but the emergence of a more serious phenomenon: the emigration of skilled individuals, including doctors, researchers, academics, and professionals in medical and technological fields.

These data reveal a deeper structural aspect; the state, which has waged a political and cultural war against its professional elites in recent years, now finds itself facing a direct consequence of this approach: the erosion of human capabilities that form the backbone of its prosperity.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 6,016 people are leaving Israel each month since the formation of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which is double the previous rate, bringing the total number of emigrants to about 200,000 Israelis, marking one of the fastest waves of emigration in decades.

The data indicates that most emigrants are educated young people, university degree holders, technology specialists, and entrepreneurs, with Tel Aviv recording the highest emigration rates, reflecting a human drain of the most productive and influential segments of the Israeli economy.

Sources in the technology sector warned, according to Haaretz, that negative emigration has reached unprecedented levels, with a decline in the work and investment environment and political instability, prompting more professionals to leave, while the percentage of workers in the sector dropped to 9.2% for the first time after years of continuous growth.

Between January 2023 and September 2024, Israel recorded a notable wave of skilled and brain emigration, with 875 doctors leaving the country, about 481 of whom are not classified as returnees or new immigrants, according to data from the Knesset Research and Information Center.

Additionally, more than 19,000 university graduates have emigrated from Israel, including nearly 6,600 graduates in the fields of science, technology, and computer science, as well as over 3,000 engineers, of whom 2,330 are outside the category of returnees.

The data shows that 3 out of every 4 emigrants are under 40 years old, indicating a rapid loss of young and specialized talents.

The upward emigration trend from Israel continued throughout 2024, as data showed that the number of emigrants between January and August remained almost similar to the numbers recorded during the same period in 2023, reflecting stability in the high emigration rate.

Data presented during a session of the Immigration and Absorption Committee in the Knesset regarding the negative emigration of intellectuals indicated that Israel has become one of the least attractive countries for talents and experts among OECD countries. In contrast, the percentage of those with higher qualifications among emigrants is increasing compared to their percentage in society.

According to a report issued by the Knesset Research and Information Center, based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, 15% of the population in Israel completed 10 years of education, while the percentage of those who completed 10 years of education among those who left the country does not exceed 5%.

However, the picture differs at higher educational levels, as 44% of the Israeli population holds 13 years of education or more, while 54% of emigrants hold 13 years of education or more. The gap becomes more pronounced among those with 16 years of education or higher, where their percentage is 19% in Israeli society, while the percentage of those with 16 years of education or higher among those leaving Israel rises to 26%.

Among the cases presented during the session, Naama Alon, a computer engineer residing in New York, stated that she no longer sees a political horizon or a sense of personal security in Israel, despite her Zionist background and long service as an officer.

After her temporary return in 2019 to work in the high-tech sector, she left again to complete her master's degree at Harvard, telling The Marker economic newspaper that she does not know if she will ever return, saying, "The reality has become unbearable, and I do not see political representatives building the state I want for my children."

In this regard, experts and analysts warned that this shift is not transient but represents a strategic hemorrhage that could have long-term effects on the health, education, and economy systems. In a more responsible reality, Prime Minister Netanyahu should have initiated deep governmental discussions to address the crisis instead of ignoring it or downplaying its seriousness.

The phenomenon of brain drain from Israel reflects, according to political analyst Nadav Eyal in Yedioth Ahronoth, "a collapse of trust within educated and professional classes," after years of incitement and pressure on doctors, businessmen, and researchers, whose presence is a fundamental condition for any country wishing to maintain its strength and global competitiveness.

In summary, Israel is witnessing a rising mass emigration accompanied by a clear decline in the return of residents abroad. Nevertheless, Eyal adds, "The research center indicates that the overall migration balance in the country still shows growth due to the influx of new immigrants, naturalization processes, and family reunification."

However, this reality, according to the political analyst, raises a series of fundamental questions: What is the nature of this accelerating trend? Who are the Israelis deciding to leave today?

Professor Itai Atir from the Faculty of Management at Tel Aviv University stated that the large gaps in the distribution of burdens, rising living costs, and the government's focus on the interests of specific groups rather than the interests of all residents drive more educated young men and women capable of earning a living to leave Israel.

Atir added to the website Walla that this reality reinforces the belief that the upcoming elections will be crucial in determining the identity and future of the state, noting that the only right-wing politician addressing the issue of emigration concretely is Naftali Bennett, while the current coalition led by Netanyahu leaves the issue on the sidelines.

He clarified that Israel is not an open immigration country and does not provide sufficient incentives for engineers, doctors, or non-Jewish researchers, or for those with family ties to Israeli citizens. At the same time, the continuation of this situation jeopardizes Israel's attractiveness to these desired groups already residing in the country.