TEL AVIV, Israel    It's not the invasion Israel feared most. 

But aliens alighting in the Holy Land are grabbing the headlines these days, with a flurry of media reports on UFO sightings and abductions by extraterrestrials in egg-shaped spaceships. 

"The Great Invasion,'' read a headline in the Maariv daily above a list of 16 examples of UFO sightings in the past three months. This week, Maariv said, hundreds stopped on a major highway and stared at what looked like an alien spacecraft doing loops above Tel Aviv before dawn. 

A 62-year-old Israeli who said he was abducted by aliens on his way to the post office was interviewed on television and radio. The story made front-page news for a second day this week when a lab analysis of yellow dust he says was showered on him by his captors was different from any soil found in the area. 

Skeptics say Israelis are simply being swept away by U.S. pop culture. The movie Independence Day -- about an alien invasion of Earth -- is a blockbuster here. The "X-Files'' series -- about two FBI agents who investigate paranormal phenomena -- is one of the most popular TV shows. 

"I strongly believe that what we have now is hysterical behavior,'' said Ariel Cohen, an atmospheric physicist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

Cohen said analysis of video footage of alleged UFO sightings suggested cameramen had adjusted the focus to make subjects seem unnatural. Others note Israel's airspace is known to host a secretive -- but earthly -- air force. 

Still, Cohen said the authorities should investigate sightings and publish the scientific explanations that could be found in most cases. 

Social scientists, however, are fascinated by the craze. 

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, a psychology professor at Haifa University, says people in modern societies are susceptible to quasi-religious fantasies that send the message "you are not alone.'' Israelis, who live under a perceived military threat from their Arab neighbors, are particularly vulnerable. 

"Israelis consider themselves to be very cynical and hardened,'' Beit-Hallahmi said. "The Israelis are actually the greatest suckers in the world.'' 

A recent television survey suggested nearly one in two Israelis believe in extraterrestrials. True believers are convinced dramatic events are at hand. 

One incident even made police look up and take notice. 

Before dawn Tuesday, Tel Aviv's police switchboard received dozens of calls from people who said they saw a glowing object doing loops over the suburb of Ramat Aviv. 

Police spokesman Gadi Doron said officers reported that they also saw a strange light in the night sky, along with hundreds gathered at the scene. 

Questions also linger over the case of Uri Sakhov, a retiree who said he was en route to the post office when he was grabbed by his hair and collar and pulled into an egg-shaped spacecraft. His captors were green, reached up to his chest and made unintelligible sounds, Sakhov said. 

Scientists who analyzed the yellow dust on Sakhov found it contained 55 percent aluminum and was different from area soil. 

Michael Kobi, marketing manager at the lab that examined the dust, said samples were sent to NASA, the U.S. space agency. 

Kobi said its unusual composition suggested the UFO sightings could not be easily dismissed. 

"If you combine all the incidents together, there might be something there,'' he said. 

Transmitted: 10/24/96 4:48 PM