Travel to the Holy Land, a crossroads for religion

The hour-long special “Rick Steves’ Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today” weaves together both the Israeli and the Palestinian narratives to better understand a place that is, for a third of humanity, literally holy land. The program airs on Arizona PBS on Wednesday, March 11, at 10 p.m. The crossroads for three great religions, the Holy Land has been coveted and fought over for centuries.

Host Rick Steves visits the major sights, but delves deeper to better understand and empathize with both peoples. In Israel, he goes from the venerable ramparts of Jerusalem to the vibrant modern skyline of Tel Aviv. In Palestine, by harvesting olives near Hebron, visiting a home in Bethlehem, and popping into a university in Ramallah, he comes to know a land few tourists visit. All along the way, he learns about security walls, disputed settlements and the persistent challenges facing the region as Israelis and Palestinians learn to coexist peacefully.

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