JERUSALEM—In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Israeli officials did what they usually do in times of crisis: They defined the situation as a security issue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly referred to efforts to contain the virus as a “war against an invisible enemy.” Adopting familiar protocols, vast resources were centrally mobilized. The Institute for National Security Studies held a war game simulating a cabinet session about the coronavirus crisis. The Shin Bet, Israel domestic security agency, was granted far-reaching powers—including digital tapping—to track potential virus-spreaders. The Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, obtained protective gear and medical devices from abroad. At several mainstream newspapers, including the liberal Haaretz, military correspondents were reassigned to cover the pandemic.
