Israel and the Palestinians: The Road to October 7

In 2003, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon surprised the world with his decision to withdraw Israeli settlements and troops from the Gaza Strip. This led to great unrest in the region. Shortly after the withdrawal, Hamas won an unexpected election victory, which then gained full control of Gaza. Political leaders and their top advisers from all parties involved reveal the diplomatic negotiations that preceded the withdrawal, and the complex aftermath.

In 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama came to power, leading to fierce confrontations between the two men over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Obama pushed for a freeze on Israeli settlement construction, his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, tried to get Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table. The viewer is taken along until the moment that the talks finally fail. Hamas leaders and Israeli officials also talk about the remarkable agreement in which Netanyahu released more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli hostage.

When Trump took office in 2017, he threw out the Israeli-Palestinian playbook: the embassy went to Jerusalem and talks were held with the Israelis without the Palestinians present. Netanyahu, meanwhile, sought rapprochement with Arab neighbors and tried to rein in Hamas. In the years leading up to the October 7, 2023 attacks, the region was deeply divided by Trump and Netanyahu’s choices. Top players—from Trump’s ambassador to Hamas leaders—look back, as do Tony Blair and the late Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in his final interview.