Israel: Voting Under Fire

An Israeli army Jeep screeched up to a United Nations post overlooking the Suez Canal one day last week, and four dust-covered riders dashed up to the shell-pocked building. While sniper fire whined, the team picked up an election ballot from the lone Israeli soldier assigned to the U.N. outpost.

As Israel held its seventh national elections last week, many others voted under similarly martial conditions. Along the Jordanian border, kibbutzniks lined up a few at a time to avoid attracting shellfire; they dropped their ballots into bullet-and shell-proofed steel boxes. In...