Soha Bechara's story, "Resistance: My Life for Lebanon" is a fascinating account of a young girl's life of war and brutal imprisonment in Lebanon.
Soha was born in 1967 in Deir Mimas, a village in South Lebanon. Growing up, she was an energetic, enthusiastic and cheerful girl - a "lover of life", as she describes. Life was beautiful for the Becharas in her childhood years - merry family gatherings, extravagant parties, and the enjoyment of the picturesque country side of Deir Mimas. However, the commencement of the civil war in 1975 transformed such a gifted life into years of madness and bloodshed.
Her father Fawaz was a loyal and steadfast member of the Lebanese Communist Party. Soha adopted his philosophies on politics and nationalism. Throughout the frenzy of the civil war, with the Muslims and Christians clashing, something had become clear to her: "Lebanon had only one real enemy, one occupying power: the state of Israel. To my mind, the civil war was just a consequence of this situation". In 1982, she decided to actively join the resistance against Israel.
At first, Soha helped with intelligence gathering and logistics support. In 1986, she was assigned the mission of assassinating Antoine Lahad, head of the South Lebanon Army - the collaborators of Israel and traitors of Lebanon. She managed to win the trust of Lahad and Lahad's wife, Minerva, by posing as her aerobics instructor. On the night of the operation, while having coffee at the Lahad house, Soha took her handgun from her purse and shot Lahad twice in the chest. She was arrested and taken to Khiam prison, Israel's illegal torture den of resistance fighters in South Lebanon. There she spent 10 years of her life, six in solitary confinement.
"Resistance: My Life for Lebanon" is an interesting, memorable book that certainly puts things into perspective. It simplifies the political issues of Lebanon during the 80s - the issues were not complex; the overwhelming problem was Israel. For a person new to Lebanon's political history over the last 30 years, I think the book provides a good overview of the events that unfolded, and why.
I would have liked to read more about Soha's emotions while in Khiam, and especially after being released. Did her experience change her as a person? What was her opinion of the Lebanon Israel conflict after Khiam? Is she still proud of what she did? I certainly am, and I am sure many, many Lebanese today feel the same.
I strongly recommend this book - it's an amazing, inspirational story that will keep you turning the page in anticipation.
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