Israeli author Zvika Amit describes a coup d’état by national-religious extremists in his novel Code Blue. Before the dream of a Jewish state in all the biblical Land of Israel is destroyed by the land-for-peace process, a group of Orthodox army officers and militant settlers seizes power—a gripping story that moves between fantasy, political reality and biblical questions of borders and national claims.

But many Israeli officials are treating the book as more than a work of fiction. If Code Blue is any yardstick, the elements are falling into place. More and more religious Jewish settlers are becoming army officers and serving in elite units. They are among the most motivated soldiers.

Some top security experts believe Amit’s scenario of a coup is plausible, including Danny Yatom, an ex-general and former head of the Mossad spy agency.