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[Q: do you think the Palestinian suicide bombers are freedom fighters or terrorists?] They're terrorists - they're both, actually. They're trying to fight for freedom, but doing it in a totally unacceptable immoral way. Of course they're terrorists. And there's been Palestinian terrorism all the way through. I have always opposed it, I oppose it now. But it's very small as compared with the US-backed Israeli terrorism. Quite typically, violence reflects the means of violence. It's not unusual. State terror is almost always much more extreme than retail terror, and this is no exception.

Noam Chomsky#146

PoliticsChomskyHuman rightsViolenceIsraelTerrorismPalestine

About this quote

What does it mean?
Palestinian violence is condemned as terrorism but is minor compared to state-sponsored Israeli terror.
In plain terms
Palestinian terror exists but is small compared to state terror supported by the US.
What can you take from it?
State violence is often more extreme than individual terror.

Where it applies

  • conflict analysis
  • human rights discussions
  • policy debates

Putting it to work

  • compare forms of violence
  • critique state power
  • analyze conflict dynamics

Questions to consider

  • Does scale justify condemnation?
  • How do we judge violence?

Another view

All terrorism, regardless of scale, causes harm to civilians.

More from Noam Chomsky

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  2. Before there were any suicide bombers, it was also reported by the same sources that Saddam Hussein was giving $10,000 to the families of anyone who was killed…

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  3. [Q: Zionism=racism?] It's necessary, first of all, to distinguish between Zionism and the practices of the State of Israel. The practices are undoubtedly racis…

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