In an article published 6 years ago about the motives of suicide bombers, Professor Paul Wilson, writer, criminologist and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Bond University concludes...

"In short, interpreting the motives of suicide bombers in simple psychological or religious terms does not get us very far.

Suicide bombers are motivated to commit their carnage because they believe, rightly or wrongly, they have been oppressed and humiliated by the Israelis for decades.

Causing terror among their enemies is one of the few ways left to them to fight back.

What this means is that neither Arafat himself or the might of the Israeli army can stop hundreds if not thousands of young men and women from acting as deadly human missiles.

Their actions most certainly have tragic consequences that may well be described as "evil".

But their motives are political rather than satanic or fanatical and only political solutions will stop the terror from continuing."


Six years later, Arafat has gone, but the sense of injustice and political impotence in the light of the world's indifference to the humanitarian crisis on Gaza following the blockade has only increased.

While Gaza may not have received its desperately needed cement, battery powered wheelchairs and school books etc at least the rest of the world may have opened one eye to their plight