Hezbollah

by Hala Jaber

Hezbollah lifts the shroud of secrecy covering the Shiite Muslim organization that has been synonymous with terror since it first made global headlines with the 1983 suicide bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut. For the first time, Hezbollah has allowed an outsider to talk to its fighters, leaders, and strategists, and to question them about the motives and operations behind some of the most destructive terrorist attacks in recent history. Does Hezbollah deserve its reputation? Can its role in the Beirut hostage crisis be justified? And what do former hostages John McCarthy, Terry Anderson, and Terry Waite now feel about their experience? Born in the grinding poverty of the Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah - or "Party of God" - has ties to Iran and exerts influence far beyond Lebanon. In many ways it is the model organization: passionate, demanding of its members, and devoted to furthering an Islamic way of life. Above all it is driven by the ultimate mandate: whatever it has done, and whatever it will do, is accomplished in the name of God. Hala Jaber explores the incredible devotion demonstrated by the members of Hezbollah: for example, the suicide bomber who went on to kill twelve Israeli soldiers in May 1995 speaks here, as does his wife, approvingly, of his martyrdom. We also hear the voices of the hostage takers, as well as their victims, speak confidentially here. Jaber clarifies the strategy of Hezbollah's weekly attacks on Israeli forces in Lebanon and documents its influence in the Palestinian-administered areas of Israel. She also sheds light on Hezbollah's shadowy sister organization in Teheran.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Lebanon, History, Islam, Religion, Middle East

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 1997

About the author

Hala Jaber is a Lebanese-British journalist. She was born in West Africa and currently writes for The Sunday Times. Jaber was awarded the Amnesty International Journalist of the Year Award in 2003. She won Foreign Correspondent of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2005 and 2006 for her coverage of the Iraq War. She co-won the Martha Gellhorn Prize for her work in Iraq in 2007.

Her first book, Hezbollah: Born With a Vengeance, was published in 1997. The book describes the rise and the political agenda of Hezbollah against the background of Lebanese history from 1970 to 1997. Her second book, The Flying Carpet to Baghdad: One Woman's Fight for Two Orphans of War, was published in 2009. The book chronicles her efforts to help two girls during the Iraq War.

Hala Jaber is married to award-winning news photographer Steve Bent

Reviews

[John Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased. I had the good fortune to work with the author in the Reuters bureau in Lebanon during part of the civil war. I was a mere 'tourist'; after my two or three years I could leave and move on to another posting. But it was the author's home. She is herself a Lebanese Shi'ite, and it's to her immense credit as a thinker and journalist that she's produced not merely a well-written account of the movement, but a dispassionate, reasoned and persuasive account of its painful and anguished roots in foreign, colonial-style military occupation, repression and murder. During her laborious research she won the trust of many of the important players and interviewed several of them - a not inconsiderable feat given the suspicion and hostility in the area - and the result is a thorough historical account as well as an important political insight into the psychology of resistance.
As she rightly says: 'So long as the West and Israel continue to regard the problem (of the Middle East) as a crusade against terrorism they are in effect denying their own responsibility for fostering the conditions which gave rise to Hezbollah.'
Her book is excellent - in marked contract to the racist and hate-filled propaganda available elsewhere, for example the truly awful 'Beirut Rules: the murder of a CIA station chief and Hezbollah's war against America' by Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz.

[Lynda Renham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant insight.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and comprehensive take on the Islamic militant group. Notable for its sympathetic view on Hezbollah, as Jaber herself is a Lebanese Shiite Muslim, it also should be commended for its mostly balanced and dispassionate approach to the tragically ongoing violent quagmire between Israel ("the occupier") as its neighbours. I have sympathies for both sides here, Israel, Palestine (where I was actually privileged to enter in 2016, where myself and a group of other Catholic pilgrims spent the day with Palestinian students and heard their stories), and the other countries involved. Unfortunately there is no easy solution, the Palestinians have had much wrongfully taken from them, but I do not think it would be right to relinquish Israel of its nationhood.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

To try and understand something it is important to get that view of the situation. This book does that, but it is more frightening than a relief to finally "understand" something.

[Alibanese · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes Hezbollah: Born in Vengeance so valuable is when it was written. The book ends in 1997, at a time when Israel was still occupying parts of southern Lebanon, and that alone gives it a perspective you just don’t get from books written later. Hezbollah in the 90s is not Hezbollah in 2005, 2006, or today - just like a book written when you’re 18 would look completely different from one written at 30. This book captures the movement at a specific moment, before many of the transformations people now take for granted.

Jaber gives an incredible amount of insight into how the group actually operated back then - its thinking, its priorities, and its day-to-day reality under occupation. Reading it today, especially at a time when criticism of Hezbollah inside Lebanon is growing, it offers a rare chance to understand the group on its own terms and within its original context, rather than only through hindsight or political positioning.

Another key reason the book stands out is access. Hala Jaber was one of the first authors allowed to speak directly with Hezbollah fighters and leaders. As a Lebanese Shiʿa Muslim from the South, she had a level of trust and proximity that most Western writers simply didn’t. That perspective really matters, and it shows throughout the book.

Finally, the historical depth is impressive. Jaber doesn’t just describe Hezbollah in isolation - she situates it within the broader history of southern Lebanon, Israeli occupation, and long-standing marginalization. I’ve honestly not come across many Western-published books that explain the group’s origins and early years with this much context.

It’s not a book about Hezbollah today - and that’s exactly why it’s still worth reading.

[Paul Quick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author starkly presents Hezbollah s reason to exist. It is a good book to read if you already know the european and american perspectives very well and now want to understand the disenfranchised arabic view.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating look inside Hizbollah during its formation and confrontation with Israel in Lebanon prior to Israeli withdrawal. The author is sympathetic to Hizbollah's opposition to Israeli occupation and the elevation of the marginalized Shia in Lebanon, which may enrage some readers, however, it is worth swallowing your gall and understanding the way Hizbollah has become the power in Lebanon and the mistakes that the Western powers have made in their estimation of the group and intervention in Lebanon. There is important data on the sociology of the group which would be very valuable for those who are not sympathetic and dedicated to combating the group.

The book's greatest weakness is the lack of footnotes. The ones that are there are incomplete, and you can tell from the sources, the author is not a scholar and hasn't dealt with debates, but rather is marshaling the occasional scholar to justify a particular opinion based on an appeal to authority.

[Silke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I start reading this book in preparation for my trip to Lebanon. And yes, it gave a good view on a part of Lebanons history, and a great inside view of the Hezbollah. The writing style was not complicated, easy to understand.
I learned a lot with this book.
Thank you Hala Jaber

[Bryan Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting books on the beginnings of the Hezbollah and the mindset that is used by terrorist groups throughout the world.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly shows things from the side of Hezbollah, but is very informative.