What are the goals of Palestinian terrorism?
Palestinian terror groups often justify their attacks on Israeli civilians as ‘resistance to the occupation’, but in fact there is no justification for their violence, and Palestinian terrorism predates the occupation. The Israeli government supports the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. The Oslo process, initiated in 1993, set out an effort that would lead to a final status agreement between the two sides. But from September 1993 to May 2008, Israel has lost over 1,400 lives in Palestinian terrorist attacks, with thousands more maimed and injured in hundreds of shootings, bombings, suicide attacks and rocket and mortar fire. Palestinian terrorists often pursue the most vulnerable targets – civilians in public places inside Israel. In order to inflict maximum death and casualties, suicide terrorists often coat their bombs with bolts, nails and rat poison. The perpetrators of terrorism in the 1990s were opposed to peace with Israel, and suceeded in undermining t
Palestinian terrorist groups often justify their attacks on Israeli civilians as ‘resistance to the occupation’. However, most of the groups carrying out violence are opposed to the peace process and an agreed two-state solution, and are committed to Israel’s destruction. The real goal of these organisations is not to bring about the end of Israel’s presence in the territories. Their agenda, supported by their sponsoring states, Iran and Syria, is to prevent Israelis from living a normal life, and to prevent the development of a peaceful two-state solution. The clearest indication of this is the fact that the focus of their attacks, whether they are suicide bombings or rocket attacks on cities, is often civilians inside Israel. The Israeli government supports the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. The Oslo process, initiated in 1993, aimed to reach a final status agreement between the two sides. Extremist groups have consistently acted to undermine this process.
