This study explores the existential setting of Israel as a country almost at war. War readiness is integrated into the daily lives of Israeli and Palestinian citizens, creating a habitual tension between the normalcy of the everyday and an ever-present war-like atmosphere. The article shows how residents of the Israeli city of Beer-Sheva and its suburbs struggled to preserve some form of their daily routine during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. It presents their diverse reactions to violent eruptions of the mundane, and concludes that this state of between war and peace is increasingly becoming an accepted and acceptable way to live and be in Israel, as what was once believed to be ephemeral has become constant and permanent.