The outrage in the face of the recent terrorist attacks is quite understandable, but it would be a mistake to think of solutions to the situation only out of anger.
On the other hand, even those who analyze the problem "mentally" and "logically" fail, because terrorism is a complex and emotionally charged social issue, and even people with rich security or military experience are only exposed to narrow aspects of the terrorist phenomenon.
They are experts in thwarting terrorist attacks, but that does not make them experts in the problem of terrorism as a broad social phenomenon, which includes long processes of extremism that only at the end and in some of them mature into real terrorist acts.
As delusional as it may sound, there is in fact no body in Israel whose goal is the fight against terrorism as a broad social phenomenon, unlike an intelligence and counterterrorism body like the GSS. The plant of terrorism In our case, the starting point of the thwarting begins with the planning of a concrete attack.
It is desirable and important to analyze the serious threat of terrorism, also and mainly based on industry research in relation to this phenomenon.
The same is true of systematic learning from models that have been successfully tried in the fight against terrorism and drawing lessons relevant to our situation here and now.
Take Algeria, for example.
By integrating radical elements within the political system instead of outlawing them, they have defeated Islamist violence in the North African country.
In Macedonia they have upgraded the rights of the Muslim Albanian minority and brought an end to the wave of violence.
Also in the case of the “Tamil Tigers” in Sri Lanka, alongside a tough military operation, he played an upgrading role in the rights of the Tamil minority.
In other words, it is critical to address social issues and human rights violations that increase terrorism.
Contrary to the profit myth, terrorism is not linked to poverty and ignorance.
According to research in the field, most terrorist operatives are educated people from the middle class and above.
The economic situation has an impact on the rate of terrorism, but it is complex.
In contrast, political rights and their denial — that is, political freedom or, conversely, oppression — have a much more unequivocal effect.
The prestigious Rand Corporation research institute surveyed dozens of terrorist studies in 2009 for the US defense and intelligence systems and funded them. Therefore, those who say that the real solution to the issue lies in ending the occupation are right, but since it is not in sight, the question is what can be done in the meantime.
There is a growing call in the Israeli public for solutions that include increasing repression and the collective and widespread harm to Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line (such as extensive house demolitions in the West Bank and the Negev and a boycott of Palestinians in Israel).
Research in the field of terrorism shows that this may actually be a recipe for disaster.
The Canadian-Israeli sociologist Eran Schur found that legislation that has a collective impact only tends to increase the rate of terrorism.
Israeli terrorist researcher Claude Bar Rabbi also believes that indiscriminate harm to the population, as part of the fight against terrorism, returns to us like a boomerang.
A study, published in the prestigious American Journal of Political Science, shows that many terrorist organizations have a cunning strategy to manipulate governments into overreacting to the wider civilian population, in order to gain more support.
We're just playing into their hands.
How to fight terrorism?
We need as focused a fight as possible on those responsible for terrorism without harming the general population, curbing explosive radicals and integrating them into the system, and addressing civilian social problems.
This recipe may revolt, and it is understandable, but in the end we have to ask ourselves whether we prefer security to all, or anger and violence towards the other side that will probably come back to us as well.
It is easy for us to see the terror that strikes us;
It is more difficult for us to see the violence on the part of our country, which contributes to the escalation of terrorism instead of harming it.
Were we wrong?
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