What is terrorism?

Terrorism is the unlawful act of violence or threat of violence on civilians. It take place in public areas to make a statement and influence decisions and thinking. Usually thought of as a good cause by the oppressors, causes such as religion, economics or being oppressed. The people involved are civilians attacking civilians like in the Oklahoma Bombing, when 168 civilians were killed. Which is different than war where soldiers fight each other, in the battlefields not on public domain. Although deaths do not have to take place in order for an act to be terrorism, a large threat that alters decisions made can be considered an act.
Weather or not it is a good cause can be easy to tell when a group is fighting for their basic rights like in the North-West Rebellions. It was easy to tell that the Metis were freedom fighters and that the government was the terrorist. It can be harder to decipher when someone is acting in self defense or revenge like after 11 Israeli athletes were murdered, they wanted to make a statement that they could not be abused and disregarded. The Israelis assassinated several people which could be considered terrorism if you look at the attacks at face value instead of looking at how many times Israel has been attacked in the past.