Israel's Britney

As the Israeli tourism ad below reminds us, life in this part of the Middle East isn't all missiles and bombs, death and destruction, sorrow and anger.

You might not, as the ad urges, "think Israel" when you are looking to plan your next vacation getaway, but some people still seem to have the perception that Israel is a nation filled with frightened residents rushing from doorway to doorway as empty buses roll past anxious residents peering out from behind locked doors.

Lives here are not always consumed by incoming Palestinian rockets, rape allegations against the president or bribery scandals dogging the prime minister.

There are other things to occupy one's attention here.

Like, for instance, the ongoing trials and tribulations of Bar Refaeli, the 23-year-old supermodel who is something akin to Israel's Britney.

Refaeli is probably best known for being Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend.

(They are on-again, off-again. But, according to the latest People Magazine I could find, the two are "on" and were "hot and heavy" in a New York cafe where she had a regular hot cocoa and Leo had a "heavy" made with vanilla cream... Get it? "Hot and heavy...")

Last year, Bar thought it would be nice to bring Leo back home to meet the parents.

Only, unlike most of us, she had to contend with the swarms of Israeli photogs that treated her the way the paparazzi treat Britney.

Leo and Bar were stalked wherever they went and photogs got in a scuffle at the Western Wall with security guards (which can be seen here) when the couple went to visit Judaism's most sacred site.

Refaeli was so upset that she vowed to never again bring friends to Israel.

Last fall, the model created a kerfuffle by dissing serving in the Israeli military as so, kind of... un-peacelike.

"It's stupid that people have to die so I can live in Israel," quoth Refaeli, who said not serving in the army had "paid off big time."

She didn't win many points with Israelis with those comments, which helped fuel an ongoing debate in Israel about the nation's mandatory military service and those who opt out.

Some who see imminent peril in Refaeli's stance are up in arms about a decision by the Fox fashion chain to hire her as their new public face.

Activists threatened to boycott the fashion line for using someone they've dubbed Bar "Draft Dodger" Refaeli.

But crisis has apparently been averted.

Today's Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Refaeli has agreed to visit wounded soldiers when she comes to Israel and will encourage people to serve in the military (in some way TBD).

How having a proud draft dodger serving as your spokesperson will help the Israeli army remains to be seen...

"Hi, I'm Bar Refaeli. Avoiding military service paid off for me big time. But you should serve because, well, chances are you're nowhere near as beautiful and sexy as I am, so..."

Somehow I can't see a pitch like that working so well.