On the night of March 16, following a six-hour session, the Israeli government issued state of emergency regulations allowing the deployment of special measures vis-a-vis its civilian population without the approval and supervision of the Knesset. Specifically, the measures allow the Shin Bet to use digital surveillance developed in Israel to monitor cell phone locations. Until now, the Shin Bet had only used it to fight Palestinian terrorism. As of now, the agency is also authorized to monitor the movements of suspected novel coronavirus carriers.

While the approved use is limited in scope and time — designed in principle to locate people who were in contact with those infected by the virus — it is nonetheless a slippery slope that has generated a wave of criticism, especially from liberal circles. Use of these special means against terrorists is under close parliamentary supervision by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, whereas the government’s middle of the night decision this week circumvented parliamentary oversight in order to save time and “save lives,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained.

On the morning of March 17, Israelis were informed that they were under a “voluntary lockdown.” They were asked not to leave home other than for essential errands such as buying food and medicine. A restricted number of people are also allowed to go to work. Israel, like the rest of the world, is in the throes of a broad national struggle against the spread of the coronavirus.

However, at the same time, a titanic fight is underway to preserve Israel’s democracy. The country has not had an elected government for over a year, since December 2018. Netanyahu has since been serving as a caretaker prime minister, head of a transitional government. He last won the confidence of the people’s elected officials five years ago, in the 2015 elections. In three successive elections held since then — in April and September 2019 and in March 2020, Netanyahu failed to garner a Knesset majority. This week, President Reuven Rivlin tasked Blue and White leader Benny Gantz with forming the country’s next government upon the recommendations of 61 elected opposition lawmakers (compared with 58 who recommended Netanyahu), but he is unlikely to succeed, either. Israel has never found itself at such a political impasse, not to mention one occurring at the height of an unprecedented global crisis expected to result in a recession and mass layoffs.