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            Moving on in “Female Suicide Bombers,” one scholar notes that we should not assume that motivations differ along gender lines. Lisa Kruger states, “In my opinion, it is dangerous to categorize motivations of women as different from men. Doing so would cause analysts to look for ‘female-type’ motivations and ignore that women can rationalize the use of violence in the same manner as men. We will be caught off guard if we only allow ourselves to think that women will use violence only if they are pushed far enough on a personal or emotional level.” (34) She makes a legitimate point—not all women have the same motivation and some may be more likely to have motivations in common more so with men than other women. At the same time, because Palestinian society is so divided along the lines of gender, it is important to note that there are certain restraints placed upon women and not on men, thus challenging the notion that both men and women are on an even playing field and may have the same reasoning behind committing a bombing. Even if men and women are motivated for different reasons, it does mean that we have to assume that women are only motivated because of personal issues. But, it is true that many scholars have analyzed the choices that men and women make along gender lines (Berko, Victor) and this may not be the best way of viewing the situation. Both men and women who commit suicide bombings involve other people, kill people, and die. The simple story is basically the same.

There are many aspects of subversion and victimization that seem to be more apparent when a woman commits a bombing. V.G. Julie Rajan “writes that the reason women are successful…is that they are still associated with traditional female gender norms in domestic life while at the same time they are associated with masculine gender norms of aggression and violence.” (38) I think this is an interesting analysis. I believe that groups such as Hamas and Fatah all understand that the subversion of social norms brings a lot of attention to the cause. It is also one of the reasons why this phenomenon can be considered at attempt at liberation of women—breaking out of traditional gender roles. Men who bomb are obviously a big deal, they still wreak havoc. But during wartime, it seems as though society accepts men dying and killing others as more “natural” than women doing it. Even this perspective is placed upon the situation from the outside, individuals, along with the nation, take this into account when setting up a bombing. Political groups understand the way that their cause is viewed from the outside, Palestine especially. It may appear that women are victims, so victimized to the point of killing themselves, and this can also be viewed as an appeal to a global audience, or audiences of other Middle Eastern countries.