This book analyses the root causes of suicide terrorism at both the elite and rank-and- file levels of the Hamas and also explains why this tactic has disappeared in the post-2006 period.

Rashmi Singh is a Lecturer at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence and the University of St Andrews.

1. Introductory Remarks 2. Rationality, Nationalism and Political Islam 3. A Brief Political History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 4. Rationality and the Convergence of Expressive and Instrumental Violence 5. Palestinian Nationalism, Identity and the Norm of Militant Heroic Martyrdom 6. Political Islam and the Rhetoric of Jihad and Martyrdom 7. Concluding Remarks. Appendix A: List of Interviews. Appendix B: Suicide Bombings Conducted by Hamas, 1993-2006. Glossary. Bibliography