I have personally experienced both sides of the coin.

On some of my visits to Israel, I was singled out for a very thorough check. Once I barely made it to the flight, despite having arrived 3.5 hours before departure. On other visits, it was a breeze, and I was sitting in the boring Dan lounge with not much to do.

Once I had a group of seven tourists with me, and against my recommendation, they decided to eat on the way to the airport. Finally at the airport, the lines were huge, and they had to rush like mad men to get to the gate on time. They didn't even have time to wait for each other so that they could go together through the cabin baggage security and passport control.

Bottom line: All airports have peak hours and quiet hours. All airports experience technical problems, like the baggage conveyor belts acting up, causing huge lines for check-in. On top of the regular problems that all airports face, TLV has added layers of security, which may cause delays for some travellers. Each person needs to individually determine the risk he or she is willing to take in order to get an hour of extra sleep, or eating on the way to the airport, compared to possibly missing the flight.