1. Collective and State Violence During the Second Intifada: The Limits of Rational Choice Theory Robert Brym SD Clark Professor of Sociology University of Toronto Presented at the University of Siena, Italy 19 May 2016

2. Monthly trends for Israeli and Palestinian deaths, January 1987 - December 2007
Ratio of Palestinian to Israeli deaths (avg. = 4.3:1)
9.9: : : :1
r = 0.629

3. Suicide bombing in the second intifada: causal mechanisms by type (in percent)
causal type
causal mechanism
Reaction to specific Israeli acts of violence
Initiative aimed at achieving tactical/ strategic goal
Total
Bomber motive 71 30
101*
Organizational rationale 59 41
100
Event precipitant 82 18
*Does not equal 100 because of rounding.

4. Explaining violent action in three stages
Utility-maximizing
principle(s) 1 2
Variation in
violent action
Subjectively good
reason(s) 3
Historically
contingent
circumstance(s)

5. Political assassinations during the second intifada
Name
Org
Date
Jewish Deaths, Suicide Attacks, Preceding Month (avg. = 2.4)
Thabit Thabit
Fatah
Jamal Salim
Hamas 2
Jamal Mansur
Abu Ali Mustafa
PFLP 15
Jihad Ahmed Jibril
PFLP-GC 17
Salah Shehadeh 1
Ibrahim al-Maqadma 14
Ismail Abu Shanab 25
Ahmed Yassin 18
Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi
Izz al-Din Khalil

6. Explaining state-directed assassination
deterrence and compellence
Utility-maximizing
principle(s)
state-directed assassination of operatives and political leaders 1 2
Variation in
violent action
Subjectively good
reason(s)
preventing the formation of a non-subservient palestinian state 3
Historically
contingent
circumstance(s)
low u.s. pressure to descalate; low internal pressure to deescalate

7. Explaining state-directed assassination
deterrence and compellence
Utility-maximizing
principle(s)
state-directed assassination of operatives and political leaders 1 2
Variation in
violent action
Subjectively good
reason(s)
preventing the formation of a non-subservient palestinian state 3
Historically
contingent
circumstance(s)
low u.s. pressure to descalate; low internal pressure to deescalate