Facing a hard reality: Fighting continues in the Middle East, and hope fades.

Byline: Trudy Rubin

GILO, Israel _ I went to Omer Golan's balcony in this tense Jerusalem suburb to watch the sound and light show.

Fifteen-year-old Omer lives on the front line _ the white stone hilltop apartments with spectacular views of the Palestinian towns of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Palestinian snipers have been firing into Gilo from Beit Jala for the last 10 nights.

The tall, lanky Omer excitedly waves his hand: "There were snipers firing from that valley and Israeli tanks fire from over there and Israeli helicopters firing rockets above our roof.

"It's like a game," says Omer, leaning over the balcony, waiting for some action. Then he adds more somberly, "as long as they don't hit our house."

Like most Israelis, Omer is trying to come to …