The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors is given comprehensive treatment in six 50 min episodes produced by PBS. Using archival footage and extensive interviews with participants, the production begins by explaining conditions in Palestine at the end of World War II and the crisis created by the exodus of European Jews who went to the Middle East after the Holocaust. The withdrawal of the British, who had controlled Palestine for decades, is detailed, as is the creation of the state of Israel. Much of the region's history is complex, with the local struggles being conducted at times as a part of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but these videos do an admirable job of explaining the complexities of the situation. The segment on the Six Day War, for example, is masterful, with the scenes shifting from Israel to Egypt to Washington to Moscow.
Seasons & Episode
"Land Divide 1948-56," tells of the birth of Israel and of Arab attacks on the new nation.
"The Six Day War, 1967" tells of the Soviet Union provoking a crisis in the Middle East, and of Israel's capture of Sinai, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"Palestinian Exiles, 1970-82" concerns civil war in Jordan, and the establishment of Palestine Liberation Organization headquarters in Lebanon.
"Peacemaking, 1970-79" tells of war between Egypt and Israel, and of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Jerusalem, which paved the way for the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state.
In "Banging Heads, 1987-91," Palestinians riot in Gaza and the West Bank. Exiled PLO leaders in Tunis make peace overtures to Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir isn't interested.
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