Resistance

In a time when violent conflicts in the Middle East continue to rage, the story of a secular Orthodox Christian who risked her life to rid her country of occupying forces will resonate with those looking to understand why young Palestinian girls blow themselves up in crowded Jerusalem markets

In 1988, at the age of twenty, Souha Béchara attempted to assassinate General Lahad, chief of militia in charge of Israeli-occupied Southern Lebanon. Immediately apprehended, interrogated, and tortured for weeks, she was sent to Khiam, a prison and death camp regularly condemned by humanitarian organizations. After an intense Lebanese, European, and even Israeli campaign in her favor, she was released in 1998.

Her story, told here in Resistance, clarifies, in the most personal terms, why the conflict in Israel and Palestine continues unabated. Coming directly from the voice of a practitioner of armed struggle who was labeled a "terrorist," Resistance humanizes a deeply misunderstood side of the conflict, offers insight into the roots of a highly complex political problem, and provides a personal memoir of resistance and oppression.Souha Fawaz Béchara is a Lebanese national. At the age of twenty, Souha Béchara attempted to assassinate General Lahad, chief of militia in charge of Israeli-occupied Southern Lebanon. Immediately apprehended, she was sent to Khiam, a notorious prison and work camp. After an intense multi-national campaign in her favor, she was released in 1998. The author of Résistante and I Dream of a Cell of Cherries, she lives in Switzerland.

Gabriel Levin is a poet, translator, and essayist.