The Smile of the Human Bomb: New Perspectives on Suicide Terrorism

Aran, sociology professor emeritus at the at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, turns his attention to Palestinian jihadists with this postmodern analysis of terrorism, positing that “the tragic dialectic and morbid interaction between the Palestinian suicide terrorist and the Israelis he attacks hint at a solution to the mystery concentrated at the site of the explosion.... Suicide terrorism is exceptional in that it breaks down the fundamental distinction between aggressor and victim.” In researching suicide bombings, Aran connects with ZAKA, the Israeli voluntary emergency response team that, among other things, gathers blood and body parts after mass-casualty events so that the victims can be given a proper burial. By immersing himself in the chaotic aftermath of the attacks, he seeks an understanding of what it means for the attacker to mingle so intimately with his victims before and after the decisive moment. The scenes of carnage, he finds, resonate through Palestinian culture, with murals depicting “waterfalls of blood” adorning Palestinian streets. Aran wonders whether the blood depicted is that of the attackers, their victims, or an intermixing of the two. By departing from the traditional political, military, economic, and theological analyses of terrorism, Aran presents an intriguing and novel view of the issue, although sometimes it feels as if a critical studies seminar has gone off the rails. [em](Sept.) [/em]