“So far, the official definitions of terrorism have the role of demonizing the enemies of the United States and Israel, and of sanitizing recourse to indiscriminate force by both governments that causes widespread death of innocent civilians. This double standard is built around the current way in which the vocabulary of terrorism is being used in this country.” WayCountryStatesGovernmentUsedForceCausesUnitedEnemyRolesUnited StatesStandardsBuiltDefinitionsCurrentsIsraelTerrorismInnocentOfficialsVocabularyCiviliansDouble StandardRecourse Author:Richard A. Falk
“There is no effort to acknowledge some equivalent accountability by associating "terrorism" with all violence that is deliberately aimed at civilians, either directly or as foreseeable effects of violent acts, whether the actor is a non-state individual or group or the state.” StatesActorsIndividualEffortViolenceGroupsEffectsTerrorismViolentAcknowledgeAccountabilityCiviliansViolent Acts Author:Richard A. Falk
“Looked at objectively, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of civilian deaths resulting from political violence are produced by what should be understood as "state terror." Terrorism also serves as an excuse to avoid diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of conflict.” ShouldStatesPoliticalClearViolenceConflictUnderstoodMajorityTerrorExcuseTerrorismPeacefulResolutionOverwhelmingDiplomacyCiviliansPolitical ViolencePeaceful ResolutionCivilian Deaths Author:Richard A. Falk
“Hamas retains the right to defend Gaza by the use of the weaponry at its disposal, and is thus not committed to nonviolence, but it does offer the possibility of greater peace and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians if the label of "terrorism" was abandoned and the search for accommodation was commenced in good faith.” IfsDoeUseGreaterPossibilityOffersCommittedTerrorismLabelsStabilityAbandonedNonviolencePalestinianGazaHamasGood FaithAccommodationsWeaponry Author:Richard A. Falk
“It may be that there is so much ambiguity and ideology attached to the term 'terrorism' that it is best to avoid its use altogether, as it is likely to be twisted in public discourse to demonise the enemies of the established order, while exempting state violence from legal and moral scrutiny.” MayStatesUseOrderTermMoralEnemyViolenceTerrorismIdeologyDiscourseTwistedAmbiguityScrutinyPublic Discourse Author:Richard A. Falk
“It was a step forward to charge Pinochet with terrorism, and to acknowledge that the essence of the crime is the use of political violence to induce great fear in society and against those who are innocent, and not just such violence that is directed against the state by opposition groups.” StatesUsePoliticalStepsViolenceGroupsCrimeEssenceTerrorismInnocentAcknowledgeOppositionSteps ForwardPolitical ViolencePinochet Author:Richard A. Falk
“It would not be desirable to include 'terrorism' among international crimes subject to International Criminal Court jurisdiction if defined to apply only to anti-state acts of violence. The failure to include terrorism as a distinct crime was due to the inability to agree upon its proper definition.” IfsStatesViolenceSubjectsCrimeAgreeCourtInternationalDefinitionsTerrorismDuesCriminalsDefinedDesirableInabilityActs Of ViolenceJurisdictionAgree Upon Author:Richard A. Falk
