Israel’s Battle Against Suicide Terror, and Why It’s Not Over Yet

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 |  Elizabeth Blade 

Israel Today magazine

 

 

 

A recent escalation in Palestinian terror has some officials worried, though it still pales in comparison to the days of daily suicide bombings during the second Intifada. But as Israeli and foreign experts told us, the mentality and drive to commit suicide bombings remains, and the phenomenon could resurface.

“Many terrorists confessed to me that [Israel's] security fence has been hindering their efforts,” world-renowned criminologist Dr. Anat Berko, author of the book “The Smarter Bomb: Women and Children as Suicide Bombers”, told Israel Today. "They [the Palestinians] still have a culture that encourages kids to become martyrs rather than doctors or lawyers."

Dr. Reuven Paz, a former head of the research department at the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), added: “One of the most interesting phenomena in Palestinian suicide bombings is that people were often recruited (or volunteered) just a couple of days before the operation,” busting the myth of intensive camp training and stressing that the society played a pivotal role in shaping the psyche of the future “martyrs”.

Unfortunately, that society is still encouraging "martyrdom" among its younger generations.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23451/Default.aspx