Mental Illness, Lone-Wolf Terrorist Attacks, and the Dangers of Palestinian Incitement

According to a recent study, 67 percent of those who committed or attempted lone-wolf terrorist attacks in Israel over the last few years had a history of mental illness. One of them was a young Israeli Arab named Ahmed Mohammad Hamid, who had spent time in a mental institution and was recently killed in his attempt to stab a police officer. The researchers, led by the psychologist Ariel Merari, also conducted interviews with people imprisoned by Israel for acts of terror; these bolstered the evidence that suicidal tendencies, mental illness, and personal problems are linked to terrorism. But do the findings suggest that there is no connection between terrorism and anti-Israel ideology? Quite the contrary, writes Nadav Shragai: