This is an interesting look at the business side of martyrdom:

Palestinians fear a frenzy of violence after Israel's assassination of Hamas's leader but in impoverished Gaza some are bracing for a boom in business -- artists who create posters of "martyrs" killed by Israeli troops.

"I am sure there will be lots of work soon," said artist Mahmoud Mussabih on Thursday. "It is expected in this environment after the killing and the warnings of revenge."

If this is any indication, the 'martyr artists' are doing quite well for themselves:

But Gaza's poster artists will be busy painting colourful images of the fallen, or processing their photographs through computer graphics to create imposing prints.

It takes a day or two to churn out the posters, which sell at between $50 to $300 despite rampant unemployment gripping Gaza. Palestinians see them as vital symbols of defiance in a conflict that erupted in September 2000 and is far from over.

"It makes me want to fight. I show it to my children and tell them it's their duty," one man said about a Yassin poster.

But at least they are motivated by more than just money:

"It's good business but I also do it because these Palestinians paid with their blood and they must be remembered," said Sultan graphic designer Abdel Halim Kulaab, 21.

On some posters, the martyr is superimposed on tableaux depicting his demise while fighting Israeli tanks, helicopter gunships or missile boats. In others, he is shown crawling to ambush a Jewish settlement.

Those who are still believing in a Middle East peace process need to listen to what the Palestinians are saying:

"I wish I was drawing a nice flower or children playing. But my work reflects reality and the reality is that there is going to be more fighting soon. That is the way it will always be here," said Fayez al-Hassen, who has drawn hundreds of posters while moonlighting from his job as a school teacher. (emphasis added)

Fatalism = Sad. (Israel remains positive, despite the fact that 14 year old kids continue to attempt to blow up her citizens.)