THE HOLY LAND AND US: OUR UNTOLD STORIES
BBC Two, 9pm
‘Israel offered sanctuary to Jews from across the world but, you know, that undoubtedly came at a price,” says Robert Rinder at the start of this powerful two-part documentary, which even-handedly explores one of the most “contentious” political issues of the past 75 years – the founding of the Middle Eastern state of Israel. “What Palestinian families like mine lost were their homes along with a sense of place and belonging,” says his co-presenter Sarah Agha, an actress and writer, whose father and wider family were among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the civil war that erupted almost immediately after British rule came to an end in 1948. The film sees British people of Jewish and Palestinian heritage travel, separately, to the Holy Land to explore the impact of the conflict on their families’ and own personal lives. As with all wars, there are stories of heroism and horror, pride and pain – and lots of tears – on both side of the divide. Few would disagree with Rinder’s feeling that “the key to understanding where we are today is to hear the stories from that time from both sides.” Reconciliation between both sides in the real world, however, still tragically seems to be a very distant prospect.