To the editor:
Justine Simon '06 ("The Other Side of the Story," Jan. 18) argues that "lack of access to education" is among "the conditions which lead to" Palestinian suicide bombings.
However, according to a 2003 study by economist Alan Krueger, 57 percent of Palestinian suicide bombers have undertaken schooling beyond high school, compared to 15 percent of Palestinians in all. That suicide bombers tend to be better educated than their peers has been confirmed in several studies. Simon implies that the inability of a Palestinian man to "provide for his family," due to Israeli restrictions, also leads to bombings. And yet while one-third of Palestinians live in poverty, according to Krueger, only 13 percent of suicide bombers do. Most are upper or middle class.