Israel is in the middle of a drought. Even though the winter rains have brought a touch of green, bare, blasted skeletons of trees dot the landscape. Public service announcements on TV implore watchers to conserve water.
The atmosphere in Jerusalem also feels heavy and depressed. The recent election has left the country unresolved between two less than popular right-wing candidates, with an even further right-wing guy as the potential king-maker. While 33 different parties ran for seats in the Knesset (Parliament), the left seems to have dropped out of sight. No leader is advocating a larger role in government to help Israel out of its economic woes. No leader is challenging the right-wing claim that to be a patriot and Zionist, one must hold on to every square inch of land. Leftists have only the hope that President Obama's policies will impact Israel.
The war in Gaza left too many Arabs and Israelis dead, wounded and psychologically damaged. It has been an enormous PR disaster for Israel. It has made Hamas even more popular. It is not clear whether it even achieved the short-term objective of stopping the bombing of the South of Israel. Yet no creative leader has stepped forward with a saner road to security and peace.
Leaving stores, shops, even the post office, people tell each other the same thing. They invoke words of the Jewish prayer service, "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem." I add a line from a contemporary liturgy: May leaders arise ripe in wisdom and wise in understanding, to lead us in the paths of peace.