# The occupation is the cause of terrorismm ... NOT **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 13, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485 "2002-04-13T21:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Efrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@Efrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Efrem)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485/21 "2002-04-17T19:45:01Z")
Sadly **Mandos** torture does appear in the Middle East, as well as in many countries around the world. I went to the BBC news site and put in the words “torture,Israel” [Here](http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/results.pl?q=torture+israel&scope=news&tab=news) is what I got. I didn’t have the time to look through all the news stories, however if you want more, you can go to any of the many “torture” websites to find more information about torture around the world. Also Amnesty International is good at keeping up tabs on all countries. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485/22 "2002-04-17T20:08:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\*If you say Israel was terrorized and is doing the right thing, okay. I may not agree with what Israeli government is doing, but I can understand why they are doing it (out of fear). > > However, why can’t some people realize that is the same reason the Palestinians are attacking too. Everything I said (in my last post), weren’t accusations this HAPPENS. This is their life. The Israeli government imposes that and more (food shortages, curfew, etc) during the occupation. So, even if you think that blowing up yourself is wrong (like I do), you can understand why they do it. > > It is not because they are “a bunch of anti-Semites”, “people who are filled with hate”, or “taught to hate (by Arafat)”. They lash out at Israelis because of fear. And all of this lashing out (by both sides) will just lead to more fear (on both sides). > \*\* I don’t say Israel is doing the right thing and the Palestinians cannot be antisemitic because they are Semites, too. What is the right thing? What Israel is doing may temporarily stop the terrorism, but it will breed a new generation of terrorists. The day before Powell was to meet with Arafat, Yassir’s Al Aqsa Brigade blew up a grocery store and bus stop. The day after Arafat “condemned” this violence, his spokespeople were announcing that the heroic martyrs attacking Passover seders would continue until Israel pulled back its troops (which, BTW, did not enter the West Bank until after a week of daily terrorist bombings). The Muslims believe that all must be governed by Allah, that “false religion” must be destroyed, and that targeting women and children sitting down to pray is a legitimate way to demonstrate the rightness of their cause. These are the people who do not believe that Muslims launched 9-11 and insist it was a plot by the Jews. These are the people do not consider a teenage girl covered with explosives a terrorist. 75% of the Palestinians agree. There is no negotiating with Arafat or Iraq or Muslim Arabia, just as there is no negotiating with Hitler, Stalin, or other true believers in an evil cause. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485/23 "2002-04-17T20:33:34Z")
I’ve just read [this](http://news.findlaw.com/ap/i/1107/4-16-2002/200204161018974307.html), which states that Saudi Arabia and Iraq (of course) agree with the PA that those who blow up innocent women and children are not terrorists but sacrificing their souls for freedom. There is no negotiating with those who have this perverse thinking ---
**Author:** ![Sun\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Sun\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sun_King)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485/24 "2002-04-17T21:26:45Z")
I am amazed that so many people get pidgeonholed into this debate. Simple questions. 1. If according to many folks and vitually ALL muslims, occupation causes terrorism, than why haven’t the Lebanese muslims used suicide bombings against Syria, which clearly occupies their country (over 40K troops) ensure this or why haven’t the muslims in Libya or Saudi Arabia or Egypt or Jordan or Iran or Iraq rose up via suicide bombings against their OWN dictatorships. The answer is simple. This is a clash of civilizations. Israel & America are the most predominant western ciivilizations and thus are considered the little & great satan & must be destroyed first. 2nd. If represssion causes terrorism than why are all non-muslims, regardless of how they are viewed by the Arab world attacked by muslims worlwide, Hindus, Serbs, Sudanese Christians, U.S., Indonesia, Phillipines, Lebanon, etc… Yeah , I know it’s always the non-muslims fault. The press demonizes Israel, Serbia, etc… & stands behind & fights on behalf of the Muslim world - I wonder who owns the press? The real answers lay completely with the multinational corporations who gain by exploiting this situation for profit & of course, OIL!!! ---
**Author:** ![Avumede](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/avumede/32/7235_2.png) [@Avumede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avumede)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485/25 "2002-04-18T04:02:34Z")
I have to agree with **EasyPhil** here. We must remember not to lump all Palestinians in the same group. Remember, a significant percentage of Palestinians are Christian. Surely Christian Palestinians have no religious reason to want to destroy Israel. There are also many Palestinians who work in Israel, and who therefore depend on Israel for their livelihood. It’s reasonable to think that if Israel withdraws to the pre-1967 borders, and the Palestinians ahve their own country, the less militant Palestinians would hate Israel a lot less (but probably still a significant amount). The more militant ones however would not be appeased, and would continue with the suicide bombings. So is the occupation the cause of terrorism? Who knows? The question is really not a yes or not question. If Israel withdraws, the number of attacks may decrease, but almost certainly not to nothing. As you can see, there is no good solution. What is Israel supposed to do, appease the (perhaps) majority and let the minority continue the struggle? Or fight the minority and invariably anger the majority as well? At any rate, the tendency in this thread to characterize all Palestinians by the actions of the more militant ones is as mistaken as characterizing all Israelis by the actions of the Meir Kahane types. The causes of terrorism are more complex than just linking it to one thing, either the occupation or Islamic hatred of Israel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-occupation-is-the-cause-of-terrorismm-not/103485.md?page=1)