Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon explores Israel’s relatively successful response to COVID-19.

The Israelis are known for their preparation. Threatened each day by a bevy of terror groups, the Jewish state has had contingency plans in place for most circumstances. Except one: the coronavirus pandemic that wrecked economies and sickened millions.

Israel, like many other smaller nations, had not developed plans to confront a global pandemic. But as the coronavirus swept across the world, Israeli society mobilized in a fashion only seen in times of war. Hotels, for instance, were converted into makeshift hospitals and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed across the country to help communities test for the illness and enact quarantines. Military technologies typically employed in times of combat were quickly converted to facilitate communications needed to keep the country running.

Israeli military officials told the Washington Free Beacon that this quick response—which included the entire government and military—helped to stave off the virus and potentially save many lives. In a country of nearly 9 million people, Israel has had just more than 16,000 confirmed cases of the virus, with 277 dying from it. As infections continue to increase across the globe, Israel’s numbers have remained relatively flat, even as its Arab neighbors continue to struggle with the illness. Nearly half a million cases are centered in the Middle East in countries such as Iran and Turkey (with 120,000 and 150,000 cases, respectively), where the governments have struggled to contain the virus.

Israeli technological innovation, long a centerpiece of the country’s economy, is helping the world combat the coronavirus. In addition to its work on new types of ventilator systems, Israel’s military, government, and private sectors are developing new tools for detection and treatment.

Follow Carolina Journal Online’s continuing coverage of North Carolina’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic here.