Terrorism Chapter 10 of Jonathan R. White\'s

Terrorism

Chapter 10 of Jonathan R. White's Terrorism and Homeland Security focuses exclusively on terrorism in Israel and Palestine. However, the author begins the chapter with the Six Day War to immediately discuss the rise of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Factionalism in Palestinian terrorism, the rise and function of Hezbollah and Hamas, Jewish fundamentalism, and the controversial counterterrorism policies in Israeli domestic and foreign policy comprise the bulk of this chapter. Especially given the paucity of space dedicated to this complex topic, White does a good job addressing both sides of the conflict and does so fairly, accurately, and with a minimum of bias.

Reaction

One of the only faults with Chapter 10 is that the author does not have enough space with which to properly engage the reader in the multilayered complexity of the issue. The chapter begins as if in media res, with the 1967 war as opposed with the origins of Zionism, the Balfour Declaration or creation of the state of Israel. Right off the top of the chapter, the author should be grounding the forthcoming facts in the socio-cultural and historical context and fails to do so. However, the limitations of space and the focus of the book specifically on terrorism does warrant brevity. Considering this, White does well to delve deeper into the creation of the PLO and subsequent Palestinian liberation organizations.

After the creation of the state of Israel, "Palestinians found themselves at once stripped of their national patrimony, totally fragmented, and enduring discrimination everywhere," (Barhoum, n.d.). The Fatah was the first formal organization to emerge as a quasi-or proxy government. White does acknowledge this and the fact that the "Palestinians wanted to establish a national authority capable of addressing their inalienable and legitimate rights as a people, (Barhoum, n.d.). Fatah was an initial response to political disenfranchisement, and yet the organization had no strong political agenda with which to mobilize Palestinians. Without a strong marketing campaign, as it were, Fatah faded away and the PLO rose in its place. The PLO attracted an arguably more radical base. Unlike Fatah, the PLO actively sought alliance and allegiance with neighboring and sympathetic Arab regimes in the hopes of forming a coalition that could aid the fulfillment of the ultimate goal of Palestinian geo-political nationalism. This would ultimately cause the 1967 War (Six Day War), which remains a defining and tragic moment in history for the entire region.

Unfortunately for the PLO and its followers, King Hussain of Jordan withdrew support for the organization. The PLO tried to ally itself with Lebanon, and this also failed as Lebanon was besieged by domestic problems and a civil war. White accurately and necessarily places the 1967 war in context, showing how terrorist organizations and extremist groups were largely reactive rather than proactive. This is true as well for the formation of Hezbollah, an even more radical group than the PLO. Hezbollah is a self-conscious and self-affirming anti-Israeli organization that foments tension in the region and embraces terrorist activity as part of its core agenda. The organization is primarily based in southern Lebanon and was a response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the post-colonial activities of Europeans and Americans. Iran supported Hezbollah initially as part of an overall scheme to divest Israel of its political legitimacy ("Hezbollah" History and Overview"). White offers both a sympathetic and a critical view of Hezbollah, which provides a responsible and balanced approach to the study of terrorism in the region.

White shows that terrorism is viewed as a legitimate response to perceived (and actual) oppression. In the case of Palestine, terrorist groups most certainly do serve as proxy governments for people who are politically disenfranchised and technically stateless. Without representation in Israeli politics, the Palestinians in conflict zones like the West Bank can easily come to support terrorist organizations as their only hope for economic and political liberation.

Hamas is another controversial political organization with a primary agenda of Palestinian nationalism. The relationship between Hamas and Fatah has been variable over the years, but is ongoing, as White points out. Unlike Hezbollah, Hamas is Sunni. Their primary locus of control is the Gaza Strip. Whereas Fatah has largely derived its support from the West Bank and has had a divergent agenda in the past, the two groups recently attempted to ally themselves in a common anti-Israeli goal. The United States has traditionally been on friendlier terms with Fatah, but White shows that both Fatah and Hamas are radicalized.