In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the festive celebrations are over. The tiny state of Israel (pop. 2,000,000) observed its tenth anniversary with more confidence than seemed warranted back in May 1948, when independence was audaciously proclaimed amid invading Arab armies. Now
Israel is in its second decade, and discovering that some of the old war cries are no longer quite relevant.
The New Jerusalem that Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed sprang from Zionist and Socialist dreams in 19th century European ghettos. In their idealistic zeal the pioneers of the new Zion tilled the desert and made it blossom like Isaiah's rose,...