The Profile of the Suicide Terrorist: An Empirical Analysis of Palestinian Terrorism in Israel

The Profile of the The Profile of the Suicide Terrorist: Suicide Terrorist:

An Empirical An Empirical Analysis of Analysis of Palestinian Palestinian

Terrorism in IsraelTerrorism in Israel

Suicide Terrorism - Suicide Terrorism - DefinitionDefinition

Operational method in which Operational method in which the very definition of the the very definition of the attack is dependent upon the attack is dependent upon the death of the perpetrator.death of the perpetrator.

Suicide Terrorism - Suicide Terrorism - AdvantagesAdvantages

The terrorist himself chooses the time and The terrorist himself chooses the time and place of action, according to the prevailing place of action, according to the prevailing circumstances.circumstances.

Simple and low cost operation - requiring Simple and low cost operation - requiring no escape routes or complicated rescue no escape routes or complicated rescue operations.operations.

There is no danger of the terrorist being There is no danger of the terrorist being captured and giving away important captured and giving away important information.information.

Immense impact on the public and the Immense impact on the public and the media.media.

Comparative and Comparative and Theoretical AspectsTheoretical Aspects

Suicide TerrorismSuicide Terrorism In the PalestinianIn the Palestinian

context most terrorists context most terrorists are males, but are males, but regarding the LTTA regarding the LTTA and the PKK they are and the PKK they are mostly females. mostly females. (Gunartana, 2000).(Gunartana, 2000).

The age of the terrorists The age of the terrorists is between 17-27. (Joshi, is between 17-27. (Joshi, 2000).2000).

Non-Suicide TerrorismNon-Suicide Terrorism Terrorists are both Terrorists are both

male and female male and female (Miller, 1977)(Miller, 1977)

Left-wing terrorists are Left-wing terrorists are mostly young, whereas mostly young, whereas in the right-wing, age in the right-wing, age is more varied is more varied (Neidhart, 1992). (Neidhart, 1992).

Comparative and Comparative and Theoretical AspectsTheoretical Aspects

Mostly unmarried Mostly unmarried and religious. and religious. (Ganor, 2000)(Ganor, 2000)

Low SES (Ergil, Low SES (Ergil, 2000)2000)

In the Palestinian In the Palestinian context most context most terrorists are terrorists are fundamentalists, fundamentalists, but in the PKK and but in the PKK and the LTTE all are the LTTE all are nationalists. ( Joshi, nationalists. ( Joshi, 2000; Ergil, 2000)2000; Ergil, 2000)

Mostly Mostly unmarried and unmarried and secular. (Miller, secular. (Miller, 1977)1977)

Partial university Partial university education and education and upper class upper class families. (Miller, families. (Miller, 1977)1977)

Marxist and Marxist and revolutionary revolutionary ideologies. ideologies. (Miller, 1977).(Miller, 1977).

HypothesesHypothesesH1H1- The suicide terrorist is expected to be - The suicide terrorist is expected to be unmarried and significantly younger, unmarried and significantly younger,

compared to the compared to the non suicide terrorist.non suicide terrorist.

H2H2- The SES of suicide terrorist is expected to be - The SES of suicide terrorist is expected to be significantly lower than that of non suicide significantly lower than that of non suicide terrorist.terrorist.

H3H3- The suicide terrorist is expected to have a - The suicide terrorist is expected to have a more more

religious background (religious education and religious background (religious education and

ideology) than the non suicide terrorist.ideology) than the non suicide terrorist.

MethodMethod

All the events that were included All the events that were included are defined as acts of violence that are defined as acts of violence that had a political goal or context and had a political goal or context and intend to create fear and threat. intend to create fear and threat.

The data base includes 80 suicide The data base includes 80 suicide terrorists and 663 non suicide terrorists and 663 non suicide terrorists. terrorists.

Data was collected mainly from the Data was collected mainly from the “Ha’aretz” daily and coded into a “Ha’aretz” daily and coded into a statistical software (SPSS). statistical software (SPSS).

The Growth in Suicide The Growth in Suicide Terrorism (1993-2002)Terrorism (1993-2002)

02468

10121416

JanJ

une

1993

July

-Dec

199

3

Jan-J

une

1994

July

-Dec

199

4

Jan-J

une

1995

July

-Dec

199

5

JanJ

une

1996

July

-Dec

199

6

Jan-J

une

1997

July

-Dec

199

7

Jan-J

une

1998

July

-Dec

199

8

Jan-J

une

1999

July

-Dec

199

9

Jan-J

une

2000

July

-Dec

200

0

Jan-J

une

2001

July

-Dec

200

1

Jan-F

eb 2

002

Percentage of bombs Percentage of bombs carried on the body / carried on the body /

carried by car carried by car

carried on body77%

car23%

Against which targets do Against which targets do suicide attacks take placesuicide attacks take place??

shopping centers

38%

public transportation

30%

bus/railway stations

23%

non-urban targets

9%

Gender of TerroristGender of Terrorist

99%

1%

97%

3%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

suicide non suicide

Male Female

Age of TerroristAge of Terrorist

36%

53%47%

35%

17%12%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

16-21 22-27 30-

suicide non suicide

Terrorist’s Type of Terrorist’s Type of EducationEducation

17%

36%

83%

64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

secular education religious education

suicide non suicide

Terrorist’s IdeologyTerrorist’s Ideology

76%

21%

9%

32%

1%

36%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

religious nationalist left-national

suicide non suicide

Terrorist Organizational Terrorist Organizational AffiliationAffiliation

6,5% 15%

54%

39%

32%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

PLO Hamas PIJ

suicide non suicide

Terrorist’s Marital StatusTerrorist’s Marital Status

84% 80%

16% 20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

unmarried married

suicide non suicide

Previous Experience in Previous Experience in Terrorist ActivityTerrorist Activity

80%

65%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

suicide non suicide

Socio Economic Status of the Socio Economic Status of the Terrorist’s Place of Residence Terrorist’s Place of Residence

(average on 1-10 scale)(average on 1-10 scale)

5,78

6

5,65

5,7

5,75

5,8

5,85

5,9

5,95

6

suicide non suicide

One Way Analysis of One Way Analysis of Variance of Research Variance of Research

VariablesVariablesResearch Variables

F / Chi-Square

Sig.

Age 3.048.083Gender .533.466Ideology30.465.000SES 5.012.026Marital Status8.733.002First Event 2.096.149Level Of Education

.701.409

Type Of Education

3.325.05