Inside the Mind of a Suicide Bomber

It took the events of 9/11 to bring home to Americans the unsettling nature of the terror that has long gripped Israel, where civilians targeted for attacks by fanatical suicide bombers are a facet of daily life. Watching this episode from the History Channel's History Undercover series, chronicling the history of suicide bombers (such as the Japanese kamikaze pilots) with particular emphasis on the current volatile situation in the Middle East, it's hard to believe that there will ever be peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Despite their overwhelming military superiority, Israel has no defense against the lone Hamas man or woman committed to the total and complete destruction of the Jewish state and ready to die for the cause. The Hamas terrorist group is the focus of this disturbing, but very informative, documentary that interweaves interviews with failed suicide bombers, family members of successful "martyrs," and psychologists, together with archival and contemporary footage, including portions of a videotape captured in 2001 that casually explains to a potential Hamas suicide bomber how to build the deadliest device possible. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Carlson)