Minn. Daily editor writes firsthand account of life in Israel during attacks

Despite Israel's air attacks on the Hamas in Gaza, the fighting seems distant in Israel's cultural center, Tel Aviv. However, the actual distance of the fighting isn't far for a country that is geographically small. 

Yet the city's cafes went on bustling with patrons late Wednesday and the youth filled the streets to enjoy the vibrant night life. Part of it has to do with an underlying idea of a state that is constantly seeking normality in the midst of abnormality, Yossi Shain, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University and a professor at Georgetown University, says.  

Shain, an expert in Israeli politics, didn't downplay the current fighting. "People are in shelters [in Gaza]. People are in full alert. It's a very difficult time right now," Shain said. 

But the fact that a city like Tel Aviv remains mostly unaffected could be because of the Israeli people's condition of living among such conflicts and yet being completely satisfied with their life in Israel. If one asked them about the state of Israel's condition, they would tell you a whole different story, Shain says.