Rating: 
Summary: 5 STARS without any hesitation!
Review: I want to start my review by disputing a claim I saw over and again in some of the other reviews. Some reviewers (like the one from Saint Louis) claim that this is a pro-Israeli documentary. I could not disagree more!
1) That above-mentioned reviewer, like many others, is questioning why the documentary does not cover the Israelis doing this and the Israelis doing that to the Arabs. By the same token, I could argue--and I'm an Arab, by the way--why the documentary does not have more coverage on the PLO doing this and the PLO doing that to the Jewish people. The answer to both arguments is obvious: this is a five-hour documentary covering a fifty-year war! You cannot include every detail. Whoever expects this documentary to be more comprehensive is either being unreasonable or lacking intelligence. [period]
2) This documentary explicitly--I repeat, "explicitly"--portrays the current Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, as a terrorist: it covers him carrying out his "blow up buildings and cause as many civilian casualties as possible" operation in Jordan, the congratulatory meeting he subsequently had with David Ben-Gurion, and more important, the speech that Ben-Gurion gave him, which in itself defines terrorism (you have to hear it for yourself).
(This is not to mention how the documentary covers [1] the Israeli massacre in Dier Yassin, [2] how they pretended not to have received the "stop the war" US warning to concur more kilometres into Syria [during the 1967 war], and [3] how Kissinger was stalling during the cease-fire talks so Israelis can march closer towards Cairo [during the 1973 war].)
If this sounds pro-Israeli to you, fine, don't buy it; otherwise, it's a must have.
Now that I got that out of the way, I want to praise this documentary on three grounds:
1) As can be concluded from my first point above, this DVD set is only an introduction package to the Arab-Israeli conflict--and a great one at it. No other documentary provides the "big picture" better.
2) You hear the accounts straight from the key players: most of it is in the form of interviews with prime ministers, presidents, etc. where they tell you what was going on and why.
3) It contains a huge amount of footage showing big historic moments such as Ben Gerion's the-birth-of-a-state speech, President Sadat's arrival in Israel, his assassination, etc.
5 STARS without any hesitation!
Rating: 
Summary: I Learned a Lot from this Video
Review: I wasn't knowledgeable about the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict but this video explains everything. The first part is a very interesting account of how Israel came to be a country and how it won territory in the wars it fought with it's neighbors. There are interviews with many people who were involved in the conflicts including Israelis, Russians, Americans, Palestinians, Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians and more.
The second part is very repetitive. More conflicts and an unending series of peace negotiations which go nowhere. Is there any end in sight for this conflict? Only time will tell.
Rating:
Summary: Middle East Insight!
Review: If you are interested in what is happening in the Middle East, then you might want to start with this DVD which tells the story behind the news. You will obtain a more extensive overview of why European Jews flocked to the Middle East and how Israel became a state. You will learn more information about Benjamin Netanyahu and Yasir Arafat and discover Israel's journey to statehood and a victory against Arab armies in 1967. ~...
Rating:
Summary: A Crash Course in Modern Palestine
Review: In 2 CDs and about 5 hours this is a superb means to understanding the Current State of the Mideast. It uses personal interviews with American presidents and negotiators as well as interviews with Israeli and Arabs political and military leaders. Enhanced with very well edited historical films and news coverage, you get a balanced view. Ironically, by viewing the video you get a very real sense that progress is actually being made at resolving a conflict that has outlasted the British Empire, The Cold War, and a half century of US Presidents. While still a documentary it was captivating, interesting and extremely educational. You would be hard pressed to match this information in the viewing time. See it.
Rating:
Summary: El-Aksa and dome of the rock are the same??
Review: In responce To Rebecca, who wrote a review above, first thing, Mohammed ascended into heaven on the spot where Dome of the Rock is, Not El-Aksa(which is spelt Al-Aqsa) Dome of the Rock was then built on the spot where he ascended to commemorate this. Second Al-Aqsa was not a Church, it was also built by muslims. Temple mount is different, it is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, yet I do not believe that Sharons Visit was what has sparked this uprising, It is a good documentary, unbiased, some of the information cannot really be drawn to full conclusions because both sides present their aguments. There are many that are lying, but it is as close to what we can get so far. Many Arabs don't hate all Israelies, Many Israelies don't hate arabs, there are good and bad in both, mainly the governments of each side are hated, Sharon for his ordering of the killings of palastenian refugees in 1983, and Arafat for his hatred towards Israel and displacing himself from the bombings targeted at jews.(I must add I know many Muslims who hate Arafat and many Jews who do not agree with Sharon's hardline ways) In all I recommend this movie, but I urge caution when trying to draw conclusions, neither side can be trusted fully from what they say on camera.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Watch
Review: Informative and well balanced. Pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: Top Class
Review: Insightful, chronologically accurate. Mixes historical footage with recent interviews. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Package
Review: Outstanding documentry on the Israeli and Arab conflict on top quality DVD imagery and sound. The series carries viewers from the roots of this conflict to the most recent events when Benyamin Netanyahu was Prime Minister of Israel. Contains abundant newsreels, rare footage and an impressive line of interviews with the significant leaders involved in this historical conflict. Terrific layout of all the events for anyone desiring to obtain a good understanding for what is going on in the Middle Eastern Core. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of this region.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and unbiased. An enjoyment to watch.
Review: Outstanding film on the birth of Israel as a nation and on the various wars. In my view, the best section is on the negotiation efforts throughout these years: you feel like you were there.
What is very well done is that almost all of the front players over the years are interviewed, so that you get a first-hand feel of their body language and whether or not to trust each of them. Having travelled to Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, I found it almost incredible how much this film helped me to focus on the people and the issues, regardless of my likes and dislikes (which we all have, don't we?)
Five hours is a long time to watch, but it is well wortwhile and you can see it in two or three sittings
Rating:
Summary: Peace with Israel?
Review: Over 600 Palestinians are killed from November/2000 to August/2001, and about 30% of them are kids and about 4 infants...what type of peace does Israel want?! palestinians and Arabs never destroyed temples, nor burn farms, or attack foriegn reporters, but Jewish setllers are doing so all the time, and its on newspapers and international TV stations! The case is so easy and simple...Land has been taken by force from its owners and a new immigrants have come to replace them. Importing citizens never happened in any other country in all history, but it happened in Palestine, with the help of Britian and the USA, who always brag about human rights and peace! So-called "Israel" should learn how to live in peace with its neighbours, instead of spreading hatred and create bloodshed all the time. Arabs dont need this country as much it needs them for security and peace of its own servival and future of its kids.
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