Suicide Bombers

The ultimate punishment one can inflict upon someone is to bereave him/her of his/her physical existence: to mete out the death penalty. Question arises, what more can be done with those who already crave to die and have nothing to loose?

Logically, it would imply that to prevent Palestinians from blowing themselves up, their lives have to be made worth living. Until and unless it doesn’t become possible for them to lead a respectable life and/or they don’t find tangible incentives to live, no coercing mechanism, no intimidating tactics can stop them playing havoc with their own as well as Israeli lives.

We have to keep in mind that suicide bombers are not born; no one is genetically programmed/destined to be a terrorist. Suicide bombers are made and made out of insult and repression. If you don’t allow people to live honourably, you cannot deny them the luxury to at least die defiantly. What is urgently needed is the re-evaluation of the policies that have contributed to elevate a religiously proscribed practice of suicide to glorified “martyrdom”.

Particularly, in the case of Palestine, to some extent the unavailability of avenues for peacefully putting forward their ordeal (for instance, all efforts in this regard at the UN have always frustrated by the US) and partly complete failure to secure any redress by diplomatic means, almost ensures extremism. The suicide bombing is normally an end result of sheer despair, the last protest of the perpetrator, the concluding attempt to highlight his/her helplessness.

Moreover, alongside stones and ineffectual small arms fire directed at soldiers in tanks, suicide bombs in Israeli cities are a weapon of last resort, often used against the softest targets -- an illegitimate and immoral response to an illegitimate and immoral occupation, enforced with Apache gunships and F-16 fighter planes.

So shouldn’t we first of all ask ourselves whether the suicide bombings by Palestinian youth is an action of “barbarism” or an accumulated reaction to the injustices they have been suffering of for over the past half-century? Do we need to look into history books to find out whether Palestinian terrorists came first or the Israeli occupation of the Palestine? Aren’t we obliged to contemplate for a while whether the desperate acts of Palestinian suicide bombers are rejoinder to more than 50 years of suffering and humiliation or lunatic conduct only meant to display their fanaticism?

Is it oppressor/occupier that should be held accountable for instigating/provoking violence or the oppressed one for being protesting? Shouldn’t we rather ask whether Israel and Sharon are willing to respect the Palestinians right to live and exist? Instead of squarely and exclusively blaming Palestinians for everything, it’s time for the Israeli authorities to realize that brute force alone can never impart them factual security.

Theoretically, after years of “targeted killings” of Palestinian “terrorists” orchestrated by the Israel, the problem should have been solved by now. In reality, after every assassination by Israeli forces there had been an intensified wave of violence and with that even more loss of human lives -- on both sides.

Without addressing the underlying reasons of Palestinian “terrorism”, I really don’t see any hope for anyone in the Middle East. Without undertaking some concrete steps to alleviate the magnitude of frustration, the intensity of rage and the scale of disillusionment that drive young Palestinians to suicide bombing, there are slim chances for viable peace in the Middle East and to break the vicious cycle of bloodshed.

Probably, making the Palestinian lives valuable for them and beneficial for their kith and kin, providing them some inducements to live, would be the most effective method of curbing “terrorism”. Both sides need to understand that striving to solve this contentious issue militarily would only further exacerbate the situation and perpetuate the violence in the region.

There are people who are very fond of ridiculing the metaphoric “Arab Street” and its incessant failure to explode. Well, 19 hijackers of Sep 11, were not an explosion of that famous street, than what else it was? One more clarification is in order: for every killed Israeli there were 25 dead Palestinians (mostly ordinary civilians) during first Intifada. That ratio has now come down to 1:3 in the ongoing second phase. Who are loathsome terrorists, I leave the decision for the good judgement of readers.

PS: The arguments put forward over here are primarily Palestine specific. They may not be fully applicable for suicide bombings everywhere else. Moreover, this write-up is by no mean meant to sanctify any particular mode of resistance in occupied territories rather a modest attempt to underscore the magnitude of frustration driving many Palestinians insane.