Terrorism is defined as any violent act directed against noncombatants and carried out by an organized group rationalizing such behavior with political and religious arguments. State terrorism represents the oldest form of public terrorism. Tactics of State terrorism include genocide, the deliberate starvation of a population, slavery, the expulsion of people from their lands, aerial bombardment, policy brutality, official torture, brutalization of a population through poverty or oppression, death squads, and the introduction and use of nuclear weapons. The Middle East has manifested the clear signs of State terrorism in much of its history and continues to play an important role in regional politics due in part to the authoritarian nature of most Middle Eastern regimes. Just as political elites depend on State violence, so do the victims. In the absence of democratic opportunities to deal with grievances, private violence becomes a seemingly legitimate means of protest. Although the Middle East has witnessed many violent revolutionary movements, the focus of the article is on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The case study of the PLO shows that terrorism is used to advertise grievances, to draw the attention of the world to the PLO's plight, to harass and resist occupying forces, and to establish a homeland. The PLO's use of terrorism to achieve political objectives is discussed as is the victimization of Palestinians by Israel. 33 notes