Terrorists use suicide attacks to instill a feeling of helplessness in the population--the notion that they have no way of protecting themselves against such attacks. These feelings strike a blow to public morale, creating fear and panic.

Any country faced with a struggle against this type of terrorism must do its utmost to protect the population, and to provide them with a feeling that "things can and will be done" against suicide attacks in order to decrease the damage to the public morale.

A state faced with suicide attacks must thwart these attacks through intelligence, operational (counter-terrorist) measures, and protective (anti-terrorist) measures. To these steps must be added psychological measures.

Intelligence is the first link in the chain of thwarting any terror attack, but is of the utmost importance in thwarting suicide attacks before they are put into practice. The wave of suicide attacks in Israel in the nineties reflects a decrease in Israeli intelligence capability against the terrorist organizations.

Operational (counter-terrorist) measures - Since direct action against the shahid himself is usually a complicated operation, operational efforts should be diverted towards the application of pressure on those elements involved in the overall planning and implementation of these attacks.

Surrounding the shahid are several circles of activists, who are aware in advance of the plan to execute a suicide attack.

The first circle is the family. In many cases they notice a change in the behavior of the shahid. In some cases the shahid has a brother or a father serving in the Palestinian security services and this relative could report to their commanders and prevent the attack.

The second circle includes activists who initiate the attack, recruit the terrorist, train him, and devise the explosive device, gather operational intelligence on the target, and guide the shahid on his mission.

The third circle is comprised of the collaborators, who give logistical assistance to the shahid and the operational team, and drive the shahid to the target.

And the last circle is the supporters who approve these kinds of attacks and create an atmosphere which makes it possible for the shahid and his team to operate freely among them.

The operational measures must focus simultaneausly on all of these circles of activist.

Security Measures (anti-terrorist measures) - Intelligence and operational measures alone are not sufficient. New security methods should be adopted, and action should be taken in order to prevent the Shahid from reaching his target or getting inside the target.

Even a shahid may be deterred, or at least his plans may be obstructed. Increased protective measures and the exposure of the Shahid before he has the opportunity to carry out the attack at the planned target, may reduce the amount of damage caused by the Shahid and perhaps even prevent the attack.

The security measures are the last link in the chain of thwarting terror attacks. But in the absence of sufficient intelligence or where the operational capability against the terrorists is limited, the importance of this last link in the chain becomes exceedingly high.

Psychological Measures - Another important facet of fighting suicide attacks, as mentioned before, is countering the moral damage of these attacks.

Of foremost importance is the task of supporting and strengthening the civilian population in dealing with suicide terrorism. It should be borne in mind that the main victims of terrorism in general and suicide attacks in particular are civilians, and it is they who are on the front line in the fight against terrorism.

States faced with suicide attacks must do whatever can be done to strengthen the spirit of the people and their feeling of security, and thus convey the message to the terrorists that these attacks do not serve their goals. In this regard there must be cooperation between the administration, the media, decision makers and politicians, security personnel and other sectors which can work together to lessen the psychological damage of the suicide attacks by means of propaganda and education.

In summary, suicide attacks are the latest "fashion" in terrorism in the Middle East and other countries worldwide. However, just as in the past waves of terrorism waxed and waned, so too this wave of terrorism will eventually die out.

In contending with the phenomenon of suicide terrorism we should bear in mind that the suicide attack is not an act of a lone lunatic or desperate terrorist who decides to attack as an act of revenge. Rather it is a well-planned terror attack, which demands extensive preparations and the involvement of a number of activists and leaders.

Therefore, countering this wave of terrorism requires a combination of effective intelligence, operational activity, security and psychological measures combined with international cooperation in the fight against the organizations responsible for such attacks.