Abstract
Low birth weight has a negative impact on a range of outcomes later in life, and mother's tension and anxiety during pregnancy reduce birth weight. The current research examined the effect of Palestinian terror during the second Intifada on birth weight of Israelis, relying on terror intensity variance across time and geographical area, and panel estimations of the change in birth weight of consecutive newborns for the same mother. No terror effect, in any stage of pregnancy, was found on the birth weight of Israeli children. The result is even valid for fatal attacks which took place in the city of residence, and in terror-struck Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. The few studies conducted around the world on the subject usually found a negative effect; it can be assessed that the lack of response in Israel is related to its population's resiliency as a result of living a daily routine in the shadow of terror. In addition, the number of days served in military reserves by a partner during pregnancy did not have an effect on birth weight, a phenomenon which has not received adequate attention in previous studies.