Over the past two decades a number of nations have been forced to contend with the phenomenon of suicide terrorism. Such diverse countries as Turkey, Sri Lanka, Israel and the United States have all been targeted by terrorists who effectively used suicide terrorism against densely populated civilian and military targets.
Suicide terrorism constitutes an additional stage in the escalation of terrorist activity.
In his ability to implement the attack at precisely the time and place where it will cause the maximum number of casualties and greatest damage, the suicide bomber is virtually guaranteed success. Even the least deadly of such attacks succeed in striking a devastating blow to public morale. Suicide terrorism is all the more threatening because of the difficulties in confronting it, the large number of casualties, and the religious or ideological zeal it inspires. It is a phenomenon that often, though not always, goes hand in hand with religious extremism distorting religion in the service of political aims. The conference will include a closed seminar for security professionals from Israel and abroad to compare notes and discuss possible solutions.