Free Republic

The Absurdity of Existence by Ari Bussel It is hot and humid in Israel, the atmosphere pressures all those in this land. Better days are in store and fall will arrive, clouds will fly in from the Mediterranean inland toward Jordan, the temperatures will drop and life will look good once again. Midday on Friday, the country closes down for the Shabbat. In Tel Aviv, young people converge on a bar. Once inside darkness engulfs young men and women with balloons flying overhead. People are smoking and everyone seems to be holding a glass. It is a tasting event of...

Life in Israel: Yossi Klein Halevi The news from Israel has become so depressingly familiar, it could almost be written in a template. A suicide bomber detonates him or herself in an Israeli town; the Israeli army moves into the West Bank; each side blames the other for the violence. The cycle repeats itself - again and again and again - with the only differences being the time, date and place of the next bombing. At the same time, Israelis also consider themselves to be under a different type of siege: Hated by their neighbors, criticized in the world press,...

Fear of death a way of life in Israel 'We all live with the feeling that we could be shot at any time' 05/02/2002 By TOD ROBBERSON / The Dallas Morning News JERUSALEM - Before she leaves for work each day, Yael Brooks quickly scribbles a little goodbye note to her family, just in case she doesn't come back. "I'll write something to my sister like, 'Went out. If I get blown up, I'm sorry for taking your pants without your permission. I won't do it again,' " the 20-year-old Jerusalem resident said. Ms. Brooks admitted the notes are...