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Study: Suicide bombers 'not mentally unstable' By Rhonda Spivak TORONTO - In an extensive study of Palestinian suicide bombings, three University of Toronto researchers have concluded that the bombers were not psychologically unstable and were often motivated by personal vengeance, not religious zeal. The study was carried out by political sociologist Robert Brym, with the assistance of two Ph.d students, Palestinian Bader Araj and Israeli Yael Maoz-Shai. Advertisement Writing in the academic journal Social Forces, Brym noted, "The organizers of suicide attacks don't want to jeopardize their missions by recruiting unreliable people. It may be that some psychologically unstable people want to become suicide bombers, but insurgent organizations strongly prefer their cannons fixed." He also found that the suicide bombers did not experience extraordinary high levels of economic deprivation. Furthermore, in his study published in Contexts, Brym concluded that a majority of bombers, like Palestinian female lawyer, Hanadi Tayseer Jaradat, 29, who killed 21 civilians in a 2003 bombing at Maxim restaurant in Haifa, were "motivated by the desire for revenge and retaliation." Jaradat acted to avenge the killings of her brother, an Islamic Jihad militant, and cousin by Israeli security forces. Brym concluded, "In its origins and at its core, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not religiously inspired, and suicide bombing, despite its frequent religious trappings, is fundamentally the expression of a territorial dispute." Brym and Araj identified the organizational affiliation of 133 out of 138 suicide bombers between September 2000 and July 2005. Sixty-four per cent were affiliated with Islamic fundamentalists groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, while the rest were aligned with secular groups such as Fatah. In analyzing data pertaining to Israeli counterterrorist operations, Brym said "we do know that of the nearly 600 suicide missions launched in Israel and its occupied territories between 2000 and 2005, fewer than 25 percent succeeded in reaching their target. Israeli counterterrorist efforts thwarted three-quarters of them using violent means." However, his study found that harsh repression can intensify bombings and prompt bombers to devise more lethal methods to achieve their aims. "In general, severe repression can work for a while, but a sufficiently determined mass opposition will always be able to design new tactics to surmount new obstacles. One kind of 'success,' usually breeds another kind of 'failure' if the motivation of insurgents is high." In an interview, Brym said: "I'm no fan of Hamas, but I believe that Israel and Hamas at some point have to sit and negotiate." In a paper to be published in Studies in Conflict on Terrorism this year, Araj concludes that harsh state repression "should not be perceived only as a reaction to suicide bombing" but "often precedes and is a major cause of suicide bombing." Bookmark to del.icio.us   And the Oscar goes to... Olmert is pulling for Beaufort, saying 'it's time Israel won an Oscar.' Battling on foreign soil Israeli Americans voted Clinton, but Obama won the global primary.

Today Online Israel raises security as Gazans plan mass protest along border Responses: 324 Gideon Levy: The Jerusalem issue is easy - half for Jews, half for Palestinians Responses: 87 For IDF brigade, 'Hebron is like Wild West and army is the law' Responses: 55 Study: Palestinian suicide bombers 'not mentally unstable' Responses: 129 Neo-Nazi turns Haredi after discovering his Jewish roots Responses: 57 More Headlines 23:39 Israel: Hamas to blame if civilians hurt in Gaza border march 01:50 Two Hamas militants killed in IAF strike on southern Gaza Strip 02:11 Israel to boycott UN's 'Durban II' conference on racism 21:16 Barak rejects PM call to ease rules of engagement at border 17:55 Olmert pulls for Beaufort, says 'it's time Israel won an Oscar' 20:39 Israeli Americans vote Clinton, but Obama wins global primary 23:16 Iran confirms operation of new generation of centrifuges 19:16 PM: We absolutely won't fortify every building in Gaza area 19:53 Israel, Palestinians to start talks on civilian issues next week 21:31 Rebel Catholics: Pope caved on prayer to convert Jews 23:16 Hamas loyalists turn preacher's funeral into W. Bank protest Previous Editions Select Day 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb 12 feb 11 feb

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