... and the Palestinian spokeswomen wasn't actually crying during the interview but she was passionate.

I was sorta dumbfounded by her words when she suggested that the U.S. should help the Palestinian people, not just the Israelis. I never really thought they wanted our help, rather they just wanted us not to help Israel. Now I have to re-think my position.

In regards to terrorism being a "call for help", isn't terrorism often used to call attention to political or social agendas, as history has repeatedly recorded.

Maybe we need a discussion that analyzes the typical goals of terrorism?

You may be right but here are a couple definitions, just in case anyone else is interested.

Webster's: Terrorism: use of violence, intimidation to achieve ends.

[link|http://www.terrorism.com/terrorism/bpart1.html|
The Basics of Terrorism: Part 1
TERRORISM DEFINED ]

The DOD definition of terrorism is "the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological."

This definition was carefully crafted to distinguish between terrorism and other kinds of violence. The act of terrorism is defined independent of the cause that motivates it. People employ terrorist violence in the name of many causes. The tendency to label as terrorism any violent act of which we do not approve is erroneous. Terrorism is a specific kind of violence.

The official definition says that terrorism is calculated. Terrorists generally know what they are doing. Their selection of a target is planned and rational. They know the effect they seek. Terrorist violence is neither spontaneous nor random. Terrorism is intended to produce fear; by implication, that fear is engendered in someone other than the victim. In other words, terrorism is a psychological act conducted for its impact on an audience.

Finally, the definition addresses goals. Terrorism may be motivated by political, religious, or ideological objectives. In a sense, terrorist goals are always political, as extremists driven by religious or ideological beliefs usually seek political power to compel society to conform to their views. The objectives of terrorism distinguish it from other violent acts aimed at personal gain, such as criminal violence. However, the definition permits including violence by organized crime when it seeks to influence government policy. Some drug cartels and other international criminal organizations engage in political action when their activities influence governmental functioning. The essence of terrorism is the intent to induce fear in someone other than its victims to make a government or other audience change its political behavior.