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Home » Video » NOW on PBS | Peace and Prosperity in the West Bank?

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NOW on PBS | Peace and Prosperity in the West Bank? | PBS

Duration: 25:36 (Full Program)
Program: NOW on PBS #528

Once one of the most dangerous and violent cities in the West Bank, Jenin, was the scene of frequent battles between the Israeli military and Palestinian fighters and was the hometown of more than two dozen suicide bombers. Today, however, there's been a huge turnaround. Jenin is now the center of an international effort to build a safe and economically prosperous Palestinian state from the ground up. On Jenin's streets today, there's a brand new professional security force loyal to the Palestinian authority and funded in part by the United States. Can the modest success in Jenin be replicated throughout the West Bank, or will the effort collapse under the intense political pressure from all sides?

NOW ON PBS talks directly with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the international community's envoy to the region and an architect of the plan. NOW also speaks with a former commander of the infamous Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade about his decision to stop using violent tactics and to residents of Jenin about their daily struggles and their hopes for the future.

To Blair, the Jenin experiment can be pivotal in finally bringing peace to the Middle East. He tells NOW, "This is the single most important issue for creating a more stable and secure world."

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Post Date: July 13, 2009