Is Israel’s coronavirus crackdown going too far?

Hooded and masked police officers tackle a man suspected of breaking coronavirus restrictions. This was the scene in Tel Aviv earlier this week, as Israeli authorities ramp up their hard-line approach to dealing with the virus. But can such measures work? Or has Israel’s approach gone too far?

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has certainly been clear that his country – no stranger to existential threats – is in a fight for its life. ‘This is not a child’s game, it is a matter of life and death,’ he said. To combat the virus, Israel has begun to use the same digital technology that it uses to outwit terrorists. Interception of telephonic data and the tracking of phones appears to be a key part of this strategy. So, too, is facial recognition and other methods that Israel leads the world in.