One Man’s Terrorist Is Another Man’s Freedom Fighter…Is It?

Bob as part of a small media team meeting Yasser Arafat in September 2002.

In an 18 month period during the Second Intifada, I saw and met with Yasser Arafat on about 12 occasions, each time while he was kept enclosed inside his Mukata compound in the city of Ramallah by Israeli military forces. At one point for over a month the Israelis fired everything from tank rounds to assault rifle bullets, and at one phase blowing up compound buildings with explosives.

This got me thinking, and it got me asking questions to journalists in situ from around the globe, and to people from both sides of the Arab/Israeli conflict.

“What is the difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist?”

Well, it came up against who I was asking, and just who I was referring to…not easy.

I came away back then in 02 with my own answer, and today after meeting with many individuals who may well fit one or the other, after working in other conflict areas from Eastern Europe, to and through the Greater Middle East as far as Pakistan.

As a very simple man, I’ve kept my rationale simple too.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s an individual, a group or even a political or military organization, if they attack the opposed political and military structure only…then in my opinion they are freedom fighters, if those who they are fighting are eroding one’s freedom and illegally taking over one’s land.

The moment that the freedom fighter attacks, kills, wounds and/or abducts innocent civilians, they immediately become terrorists, and therefore should be treated as such under International law.

Some may say a simplistic view in a not so simplistic scenario…wherever that scenario may be playing out.

I’ve had that view post my military career from the above mentioned time…and in my late 60s now I still hold it today.

But does that mean that freedom fighters get leeway under International law, when terrorists get everything that they deserve?

Given my description of the latter…do they get everything they deserve…or because who they represent, do some terrorists (whether individuals, groups, political or military) get away with more than others…those who attack, kill, wound and/or abduct innocent civilians?

And do the building blocks that have been put in place Internationally do a good enough job of fairly policing and holding all terrorists globally to account? If the answer is no, then perhaps that’s why we have freedom fighters?

Food for thought!