Comment by pavelrub

Israel has neither an authoritarian nor a semi-authoritarian regime. From your analogy I think you are misunderstanding NSO and its relation to the Israeli government. NSO is not a civilian cover for government operations. It’s an Israeli arms manufacturer. Its foreign sales require approval by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and as such can be facilitated by the government based on diplomatic considerations. This is not unlike other arms manufacturers in the US or in western countries in general.