One of the biggest myths about the Israel Palestine conflict is that it's been going on for centuries, all about ancient religious hatreds. In fact, while religion is involved, the conflict's mostly about two groups of people who claim the same land. And it really only goes back about a century to the early 1900s. Around then, the region along the eastern Mediterranean we now call Israel Palestine had been under Ottoman rule for centuries. It was religiously diverse, including mostly Muslims and Christians, also a small number of Jews who lived generally in peace. But it was changing in two important ways. First, more people in the region were developing a sense of being not just ethnic Arabs, but Palestinians, a distinct national identity. At the same time, not so far away in Europe, more Jews were joining a movement called Zionism, which said that Judaism was not just a religion, but a nationality, one that deserved a nation of its own. And after centuries of persecution, many believed a Jewish state was their only way of safety and saw their historic homeland in the Middle East as their best hope for establishing it. In the first decades of the 20th century, tens of thousands of European Jews moved there. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and British and French empires carved up the Middle East, the British taking control of a region it called the British Mandate for Palestine. At first, the British allowed Jewish immigration. But as more Jews arrived, settling in farming communities, tension between Jews and Arabs grew. Both sides committed acts of violence, and by the 1930s, the British began limiting Jewish immigration. In response, Jewish militias formed to fight both the local Arabs and to resist British rule. Then came the Holocaust, leading many more Jews to flee Europe for British Palestine and galvanizing much of the world in support of a Jewish state. In 1947, as sectarian violence between Jews and Arabs there grew, the United Nations approved a plan to divide British Palestine into two separate states, one for Jews, Israel, and one for Arabs, Palestine. The city of Jerusalem, where Jews, Muslims, and Christians all have holy sites, was to become a special international zone. The plan was meant to give Jews a state, to establish Palestinian independence, and to end the sectarian violence that the British could no longer control. The Jews accepted the plan, and they declared independence as Israel. But Arabs throughout the region saw the UN plan as just more European colonialism trying to steal their land. Many of the Arab states, who had just recently won independence themselves, declared war on Israel in an effort to establish a unified Arab Palestine where all of British Palestine had been. The new state of Israel won the war, but in the process, they pushed well past their borders under the UN plan, taking the western half of Jerusalem and much of the land that was to have been part of Palestine. They also expelled huge numbers of Palestinians from their homes, creating a massive refugee population whose descendants today number about 7 million. At the end of the war, Israel controlled all of the territory except for Gaza, which Egypt controlled, and the West Bank, named because it's west of the Jordan River, which Jordan controlled. This was the beginning of the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict. During this period, many Jews in Arab-majority countries fled or were expelled, arriving in Israel. Then something happened that transformed the conflict. In 1967, Israel and the neighboring Arab states fought another war. When it ended, Israel had seized the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan, and both Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. Israel was now occupying the Palestinian territories, including all of Jerusalem and its holy sites. This left Israel responsible for governing the Palestinians, a people it had fought for decades. In 1978, Israel and Egypt signed the US-brokered Camp David Accords. Shortly after, Israel gave Sinai back to Egypt as part of the peace treaty. At the time, this was hugely controversial in the Arab world. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in part because of outrage against it. But it marked the beginning of the end of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict. Over the next few decades, the other Arab states gradually made peace with Israel, even if they never signed formal peace treaties. But Israel's military was still occupying the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. And this is when the conflict became an Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, which had formed in the 1960s to seek a Palestinian state, fought against Israel, including through acts of terrorism. Initially, the PLO claimed all of what had been British Palestine, meaning it wanted to end the state of Israel entirely. Fighting between Israel and the PLO went on for years, even including a 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to kick the group out of Beirut. The stillness of the ceasefire in Southern Lebanon was shattered today by the sound of guns, bombs, and planes. The PLO later said it would accept dividing the land between Israel and Palestine, but the conflict continued. As all of this was happening, something dramatic was changing in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Israelis were moving in. These people are called settlers, and they made their homes in the West Bank and Gaza, whether the Palestinians wanted them or not. Some moved for religious reasons, some because they want to claim the land for Israel, some just because the housing is cheap, often subsidized by the Israeli government. Some settlements are cities with thousands of people, others are small communities deep into the West Bank. If you've always felt a deep yearning for Jerusalem, now is a once in a lifetime opportunity, not only to stand within its gates, but also to build the home of your dreams there. The settlers are followed by soldiers to guard them, and the growing settlements forced Palestinians off of their land and divide communities. Short-term, they make the occupation much more painful for Palestinians. Long-term, by dividing up Palestinian land, they make it much more difficult for the Palestinians to ever have an independent state. Today, there are several hundred thousand settlers in occupied territory, even though the international community considers them illegal. By the late 1980s, Palestinian frustration exploded into the Intifada, which is the Arabic word for uprising. It began with mostly protests and boycotts, but soon became violent. Israel responded with heavy force. A couple hundred Israelis and over a thousand Palestinians died in the first Intifada. Around the same time, a group of Palestinians in Gaza who considered the PLO too secular, too compromise-minded, created Hamas, a violent extremist group dedicated to Israel's destruction. By the early 1990s, it's clear that Israelis and Palestinians have to make peace. The leaders from both sides signed the Oslo Accords. This was meant to be the big first step toward Israel maybe someday withdrawing from the Palestinian territories and allowing an independent Palestine. The Oslo Accords established the Palestinian Authority, allowing Palestinians a little bit of freedom to govern themselves in certain areas. But hardliners on both sides opposed the Oslo Accords. Members of Hamas launched suicide bombings to try to sabotage the process. The Israeli right protest peace talks with ralliers calling Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin a traitor and a Nazi. Not long after Rabin signs the second round of Oslo Accords, a far-right Israeli shoots him to death in Tel Aviv. But this violence showed how extremists on both sides can use violence to derail peace, keep a permanent conflict going as they seek the other side's total destruction. That's a dynamic that's been around ever since. Negotiations meant to hammer out the final details on peace drag on for years. and a big Camp David summit in 2000 comes up empty. Palestinians come to believe peace isn't coming, rise up in a second Intifada, this one much more violent than the first. By the time it wound down a few years later, about 1,000 Israelis and 3,200 Palestinians had died. The Second Intifada really changes the conflict. Israelis become much more skeptical that Palestinians will ever accept peace or that it's even worth trying. Israeli politics shift right. The country builds walls and checkpoints to control Palestinians' movements. They're not really trying to solve the conflict anymore, just to manage it. The Palestinians are left feeling like negotiating didn't work, and violence didn't work, and that they're stuck under an ever-growing occupation with no future as a people. That year, Israel withdraws from Gaza. Hamas gains power, but splits from the Palestinian Authority in a short civil war, dividing Gaza from the West Bank. Israel puts Gaza under a suffocating blockade, and unemployment rises to 40%. This is the state of the conflict as we know it today. It's relatively new, and it's unbearable for Palestinians. In the West Bank, more and more settlements are smothering Palestinians, who often respond with protests and sometimes with violence, but most just want normal lives. In Gaza, Hamas and other violent groups have periodic wars with Israel. The fighting overwhelmingly kills Palestinians, including lots of civilians. In Israel itself, most people have become apathetic. For the most part, the occupation keeps the conflict relatively removed from their daily lives, with moments of brief but horrible violence. There's little political will for peace. No one really knows where the conflict goes from here. Maybe a third Intifada, maybe the Palestinian Authority collapses. But everyone agrees that things as they are now can't last much longer. Israel's occupation of the Palestinians is too unstable to last, and that unless something dramatic changes, whatever comes next will be much worse.
The camera slowly pushes in on a wooden desk with a map of the region of Palestine on a clipboard. The background is a blurry library of books.
"One of the biggest myths about the Israel Palestine conflict is that it's been going on for centuries, all about ancient religious hatreds."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "Vox"
The camera pans down to show two images on the desk: a black and white engraving of biblical figures and a classical painting of Abraham and Isaac.
"In fact, while religion is involved, the conflict's mostly about two groups of people who claim the same land."
Setting: study or library — soft, focused
Text: "Vox"
A timeline from 1900 to 2016 is drawn across a gridded map of the Mediterranean Sea.
"And it really only goes back about a century to the early 1900s."
Setting: N/A — even, bright
Text: "1900", "2016", "MEDITERRANEAN SEA"
A map of the Ottoman Empire (circa 1900) is shown on the clipboard.
"had been under Ottoman rule for centuries."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "OTTOMAN EMPIRE", "(CIRCA 1900)"
On the map, the region of Israel-Palestine is highlighted. Animated religious symbols (crescent and star, cross, Star of David) appear sequentially in a box.
"including mostly Muslims and Christians, also a small number of Jews who lived generally in peace."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "ISRAEL-PALESTINE", "Around 1900"
A series of black and white historical photographs of people from the region are placed on top of the map on the clipboard.
"First, more people in the region were developing a sense of being not just ethnic Arabs, but Palestinians, a distinct national identity."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
People (1):
• portraits, wearing traditional robes and head coverings — serious expressions
The camera pans from a map of the Middle East to a map of Europe, then a poster of Theodor Herzl with an Israeli flag appears.
"At the same time, not so far away in Europe, more Jews were joining a movement called Zionism,"
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
People (1):
• formal portrait, wearing black suit, dark, with a beard hair — serious, bearded
Text: "Hebrew text", "1897 1947"
A historical political cartoon is shown, depicting Jewish people burdened by a large sack labeled 'OPPRESSION'.
"And after centuries of persecution, many believed a Jewish state was their only way of safety"
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "STOP YOUR CRUEL OPPRESSION OF THE JEWS."
A collage of Zionist posters, pamphlets, and images appears on the clipboard.
"and saw their historic homeland in the Middle East as their best hope for establishing it."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "I'M BUILDING A PALACE IN PALESTINE", "THE JEWS WHO WILL IT WILL HAVE THEIR STATE"
A line graph appears on a piece of aged paper, showing the Jewish population in Palestine increasing from 1880 to 1910.
"In the first decades of the 20th century, tens of thousands of European Jews moved there."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "Jewish population in Palestine"
A sepia-toned photo of a large artillery gun firing appears, with text overlay for World War I.
"After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed,"
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "WORLD WAR I", "(1914-1918)"
An old map of the Ottoman provinces is shown. Animated lines and colors appear, dividing the region between France (A) and Britain (B).
"and British and French empires carved up the Middle East,"
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "France", "Britain"
The map zooms in on the British Mandate for Palestine. A Zionist poster appears to the left.
"At first, the British allowed Jewish immigration."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "Palestine", "1919-1948", "JEWS! REBUILD PALESTINE"
A collage of black and white photos is shown, depicting Jewish settlers in farming communities and early agricultural work.
"tension between Jews and Arabs grew. Both sides committed acts of violence,"
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
A collage of black and white photos showing Jewish militias and soldiers is displayed on the clipboard.
"In response, Jewish militias formed to fight both the local Arabs and to resist British rule."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "JEWS WANT TO FIGHT AS JEWS"
A powerful black and white photo from the Holocaust is shown, featuring a young boy with his hands up, surrounded by soldiers and other Jews.
"Then came the Holocaust, leading many more Jews to flee Europe for British Palestine"
Setting: Warsaw Ghetto — natural, harsh
People (1):
• standing, wearing dark coat and cap — fearful
Text: "HOLOCAUST", "(1941-1945)"
A black and white photo of a massive indoor rally is shown, with a large banner reading 'AMERICA IS FOR A JEWISH PALESTINE'.
"and galvanizing much of the world in support of a Jewish state."
Setting: arena — bright, indoor
People (1):
• large crowd seated in an arena
Text: "AMERICA IS FOR A JEWISH PALESTINE - WHY NOT?"
A map of the 1947 UN Partition Plan is shown next to a newspaper clipping about the 'Destiny of a whole people'.
"the United Nations approved a plan to divide British Palestine into two separate states,"
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "1947", "PLAN OF PARTITION", "DESTINY"
An animated map shows the proposed division of the land into a Jewish state (blue) and an Arab state (green).
"one for Jews, Israel, and one for Arabs, Palestine."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "UN PROPOSAL", "1947", "Jewish state (Israel)", "Arab state (Palestine)"
On the animated map, a British flag icon appears with arms pointing to the Jewish and Arab states, and a hand above it with the text 'We're leaving this mess'.
"and to end the sectarian violence that the British could no longer control."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "You get your state", "You get independence", "We're leaving this mess"
An animated map shows the newly formed Israel, which is then surrounded by a red overlay representing the opposing Arab states (Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia).
"The Jews accepted the plan, and they declared independence as Israel. But Arabs throughout the region saw the UN plan as just more European colonialism trying to steal their land."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "SYRIA", "EGYPT"
A montage of black and white archival footage from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War is shown inside a picture frame on the desk.
"declared war on Israel in an effort to establish a unified Arab Palestine where all of British Palestine had been."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "ARAB-ISRAELI WAR", "(1948-1949)"
The animated map reappears, showing the blue area of Israel expanding beyond the original UN partition borders (dotted lines).
"The new state of Israel won the war, but in the process, they pushed well past their borders under the UN plan,"
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "STATE OF ISRAEL (1948)", "UN BORDERS"
An animated map illustrates the Palestinian Exodus of 1948, with arrows showing populations moving from Israel to surrounding areas like the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, with numbers shown.
"They also expelled huge numbers of Palestinians from their homes, creating a massive refugee population whose descendants today number about 7 million."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "PALESTINIAN EXODUS (1948)", "WEST BANK 280,000", "GAZA 190,000"
The map shows the post-1948 war borders, with labels indicating Israeli, Egyptian, and Jordanian control over different territories.
"At the end of the war, Israel controlled all of the territory except for Gaza, which Egypt controlled, and the West Bank, named because it's west of the Jordan River, which Jordan controlled."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "GAZA (Egypt)", "WEST BANK (Jordan)"
A montage of black and white historical photos shows Jewish refugees from Arab countries arriving in Israel, carrying belongings and walking on an airfield.
"During this period, many Jews in Arab-majority countries fled or were expelled, arriving in Israel."
Setting: Israel — natural, bright
People (1):
• walking, disembarking, wearing varied dresses, shirts, and coats — varied expressions, some weary
A framed piece of paper appears on the desk with archival footage of the Six-Day War (1967), showing tanks and soldiers.
"Then something happened that transformed the conflict. In 1967, Israel and the neighboring Arab states fought another war."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "SIX-DAY WAR", "(1967)"
An animated map shows the territories of Golan Heights, West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai being colored in blue as they are seized by Israel. Labels appear for each territory.
"When it ended, Israel had seized the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan, and both Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "GOLAN HEIGHTS (Syria)", "WEST BANK (Jordan)", "SINAI & GAZA (Egypt)"
The map of Israel's expanded territory after the 1967 war is shown.
"Israel was now occupying the Palestinian territories, including all of Jerusalem and its holy sites."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
The animated map illustrating the 1948 Palestinian Exodus is shown again, emphasizing the large refugee population.
"This left Israel responsible for governing the Palestinians, a people it had fought for decades."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "PALESTINIAN EXODUS (1948)"
A photo of the Camp David Accords signing ceremony with Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, and Menachem Begin is shown next to the map of occupied territories.
"In 1978, Israel and Egypt signed the US-brokered Camp David Accords."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "CAMP DAVID ACCORDS (1978)"
An arrow points from the photo of the accords to the map, and the Sinai Peninsula on the map changes color, indicating its return to Egypt.
"Shortly after, Israel gave Sinai back to Egypt as part of the peace treaty. At the time, this was hugely controversial in the Arab world."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
A New York Times newspaper front page is shown with the headline 'SADAT ASSASSINATED AT ARMY PARADE'.
"Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in part because of outrage against it."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "The New York Times", "SADAT ASSASSINATED AT ARMY PARADE"
The map showing the red overlay of Arab states surrounding Israel is shown again, but this time the red color fades away, leaving only Israel.
"But it marked the beginning of the end of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict. Over the next few decades, the other Arab states gradually made peace with Israel,"
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
The map zooms in on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The Israeli and Palestinian flags appear on either side of the map.
"But Israel's military was still occupying the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. And this is when the conflict became an Israeli-Palestinian struggle."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
A collage of images appears, including a poster with the Palestinian flag and symbols of struggle, and a photo of armed Palestinian fighters.
"The Palestinian Liberation Organization, which had formed in the 1960s to seek a Palestinian state, fought against Israel, including through acts of terrorism."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
A TV news report clip from 1982 is shown, with anchor Frank Reynolds reporting on an Israeli raid in Lebanon.
"Fighting between Israel and the PLO went on for years, even including a 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to kick the group out of Beirut."
Setting: newsroom — studio lighting
People (1):
• news anchor at desk, wearing suit and tie, white hair — serious, speaking
Text: "FRANK REYNOLDS Washington", "APRIL 21, 1982"
The news clip continues with Frank Reynolds' report.
"The stillness of the ceasefire in Southern Lebanon was shattered today by the sound of guns, bombs, and planes."
Setting: newsroom — studio lighting
People (1):
• news anchor at desk, wearing suit and tie, white hair — serious, speaking
A video clip of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat speaking is shown.
"The PLO later said it would accept dividing the land between Israel and Palestine, but the conflict continued."
Setting: indoor setting — indoor lighting
People (1):
• interview subject, wearing military-style shirt — speaking, serious
Text: "YASSER ARAFAT P.L.O. Chairman"
The map of the West Bank is shown, and blue dots representing Israeli settlements begin to appear and multiply across the green territory.
"As all of this was happening, something dramatic was changing in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Israelis were moving in."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "WEST BANK"
A list of reasons for Jewish settlements appears on screen next to the map of the West Bank, which is now filled with settlement dots.
"Some moved for religious reasons, some because they want to claim the land for Israel, some just because the housing is cheap, often subsidized by the Israeli government."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "JEWISH SETTLEMENTS", "Religious", "Political", "Cheap housing"
A promotional video for Israeli settlements is shown, featuring aerial shots of Jerusalem and architectural renderings of new housing developments.
"If you've always felt a deep yearning for Jerusalem, now is a once in a lifetime opportunity, not only to stand within its gates, but also to build the home of your dreams there."
Setting: Jerusalem and West Bank — bright sunlight
Text: "nofeisrael"
A split screen shows Israeli soldiers guarding a settlement on the left, and soldiers patrolling a Palestinian street on the right.
"The settlers are followed by soldiers to guard them, and the growing settlements forced Palestinians off of their land and divide communities."
Setting: West Bank — daylight
People (1):
• standing guard, patrolling, wearing military uniform
The map of the West Bank is shown again, now with a dense overlay of blue dots (settlements) and red lines (roads), fragmenting the green Palestinian areas.
"Short-term, they make the occupation much more painful for Palestinians. Long-term, by dividing up Palestinian land, they make it much more difficult for the Palestinians to ever have an independent state."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Archival footage and photos of the First Intifada are shown, including street protests and youths throwing stones.
"By the late 1980s, Palestinian frustration exploded into the Intifada, which is the Arabic word for uprising."
Setting: Palestinian territories — daylight
People (1):
• protesting, running, wearing casual street clothes — angry, shouting
Text: "FIRST INTIFADA (1987-1993)"
The map of Gaza is highlighted. A photo of armed Hamas militants is shown, followed by the Hamas logo.
"Around the same time, a group of Palestinians in Gaza who considered the PLO too secular, too compromise-minded, created Hamas, a violent extremist group dedicated to Israel's destruction."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "GAZA", "HAMAS"
A book cover with a photo of the Oslo Accords handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, with Bill Clinton, is shown.
"By the early 1990s, it's clear that Israelis and Palestinians have to make peace. The leaders from both sides signed the Oslo Accords."
Setting: study or library — soft, ambient
Text: "OSLO ACCORDS (1993)"
An animated map of the West Bank shows the division into Area A (Palestinian self-rule), Area B (joint control), and Area C (Israeli control).
"The Oslo Accords established the Palestinian Authority, allowing Palestinians a little bit of freedom to govern themselves in certain areas."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "Area A: Palestinian civil and security self-rule", "Area B: Palestinian civil governance, Israeli security control", "Area C: Israel controls security and almost all governance"
A montage of images shows Hamas protests, militants, and Israeli right-wing protests against the peace process, with signs calling Rabin a traitor.
"But hardliners on both sides opposed the Oslo Accords. Members of Hamas launched suicide bombings to try to sabotage the process."
Setting: Israel and Palestinian territories — varied, day and night
People (1):
• protesting, shouting
Text: "THE TRAITOR"
A collage of images related to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin is shown, including his assassin, news reports, and the newspaper headline.
"Not long after Rabin signs the second round of Oslo Accords, a far-right Israeli shoots him to death in Tel Aviv."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "Rabin Is Assassinated at Rally"
An animation shows the word 'PEACE' on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, being broken by a thick red brushstroke labeled 'VIOLENCE'.
"But this violence showed how extremists on both sides can use violence to derail peace, keep a permanent conflict going as they seek the other side's total destruction."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "PEACE", "VIOLENCE"
A photo of Bill Clinton with Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat at Camp David II is shown. The image then dissolves into a cloud of dust.
"Negotiations meant to hammer out the final details on peace drag on for years. and a big Camp David summit in 2000 comes up empty."
Setting: Camp David — daylight
People (1):
• standing together for a photo, wearing blue shirt, black shirt, military uniform — smiling
Text: "CAMP DAVID II (2000)"
A montage of violent footage from the Second Intifada is shown, including riots, police action, and explosions.
"Palestinians come to believe peace isn't coming, rise up in a second Intifada, this one much more violent than the first."
Setting: Palestinian territories — daylight
Text: "SECOND INTIFADA (2000-2005)"
A line graph shows the number of Israeli and Palestinian deaths from 2000 to 2005, with Palestinian deaths significantly higher.
"By the time it wound down a few years later, about 1,000 Israelis and 3,200 Palestinians had died."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "ISRAEL PALESTINE CONFLICT DEATHS (2000-2005)", "ISRAELI DEATHS", "PALESTINIAN DEATHS"
A montage of images shows the aftermath of a bus bombing, Israeli police, and Palestinian protests.
"The Second Intifada really changes the conflict. Israelis become much more skeptical that Palestinians will ever accept peace or that it's even worth trying."
Setting: Israel and Palestinian territories — daylight
Images of the West Bank barrier wall and Israeli checkpoints are shown, with Palestinians waiting to pass.
"Israeli politics shift right. The country builds walls and checkpoints to control Palestinians' movements."
Setting: West Bank — daylight
People (1):
• waiting in line, being checked by soldiers
An animated map shows Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. A red line then appears, separating Gaza (controlled by Hamas) from the West Bank (controlled by the Palestinian Authority).
"That year, Israel withdraws from Gaza. Hamas gains power, but splits from the Palestinian Authority in a short civil war, dividing Gaza from the West Bank."
Setting: N/A — even
Text: "GAZA 2005"
The map of Gaza is shown with a red border, indicating a blockade. A photo of Hamas militants marching is overlaid.
"Israel puts Gaza under a suffocating blockade, and unemployment rises to 40%."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
Text: "GAZA"
A rapid montage of violent images from Gaza is shown: rockets firing at night, a boy biking past rubble, an Israeli tank, and a funeral procession.
"In Gaza, Hamas and other violent groups have periodic wars with Israel."
Setting: Gaza — varied
A montage of peaceful, modern life in Israel is shown: a quiet street, a woman crossing a road, someone fishing by the sea, people relaxing in a park, and modern skyscrapers.
"In Israel itself, most people have become apathetic. For the most part, the occupation keeps the conflict relatively removed from their daily lives,"
Setting: Israel — daylight
Text: "Israel"
The map of the West Bank with dense settlements is shown again, emphasizing the fragmentation of Palestinian land.
"In the West Bank, more and more settlements are smothering Palestinians, who often respond with protests and sometimes with violence, but most just want normal lives."
Setting: N/A — bright, graphic
A final, rapid montage of conflict images flashes on screen: protests, soldiers, walls, flags, and violence.
"Israel's occupation of the Palestinians is too unstable to last, and that unless something dramatic changes, whatever comes next will be much worse."
Setting: Israel and Palestinian territories — varied
The video ends on a credits screen.
Setting: N/A — N/A
Text: "Video by JOHNNY HARRIS MAX FISHER", "Images ASSOCIATED PRESS GETTY IMAGES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS", "Music "BAOBAB ROAD" "SECRET JOURNEY" "TIME TO GO" "PEOPLE" (APM MUSIC)"