At War Within and Without

Facing both Hamas attacks and its own bitter political divisions, Israel is at a moment of crisis. A first-time visitor, however, sees some signs of hope

- PAUL RHODES

DAVID BEN-GURION, ISRAEL'S FIRST PRIME MINISTER, ONCE SAID: "IN ORDER to be a realist, you must believe in miracles." I didn't see any miracles during a five-day visit to the country, my first, early in July, but Israel did look like it could use some.

The country I got a glimpse of was under intense pressure. The day after I arrived, Israel Defense Forces raided a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin in the West Bank, a move that put the country on edge and triggered Hamas reprisal attacks. Meanwhile tension was building over the proposed overhaul of the country's judiciary by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite large, angry protests, part of the overhaul aimed at limiting the power of the Israeli Supreme Court passed the Knesset on July 24.

I'm a London-based journalist and went to Israel as part of a group organized by ELNET, the European Leadership Network, a pro-Israel nongovernmental organization, founded 15 years ago, in the words of its website, to strengthen relations between Europe and Israel "based on shared democratic values and strategic interests." They promised me a warts-and-all trip to different parts of the country and the chance to meet a wide range of people, including politicians, soldiers, academics, policy experts and local journalists. Newsweek paid my expenses. The following are some snapshots from my visit.

'A Tough Neighborhood'