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Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2401
Suicide Terrorism in the Middle East
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Martin Kramer - The Palestinian case is not simply one of struggle against occupation; it is also a struggle for primacy among rivals. Israel had been in occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for nearly thirty years before the first Palestinian suicide bombing. Why did it take so long? Palestinian suicide bombings coincide with intensified political struggle for dominance in the Palestinian arena, specifically between Hamas and the Arafat-led PLO. Suicide bombing as an alternative strategy has had obviously negative results, such as the loss of international sympathy and the construction of Israel's security fence. This suggests that ending the occupation is not the prime objective of the suicide campaign. The attacks are used to win converts and to build identity over time.