‘Israel’s Second Front’: Watch the Prologue Now

Roughly 100 days into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, fears are rising about a widening conflict in the Middle East. On Jan. 23, in the documentary Israel’s Second Front, acclaimed journalist and correspondent Ramita Navai reports from the West Bank for FRONTLINE about growing tensions on the ground in the occupied territory.

“All eyes are on the war in Gaza, but the West Bank — home to several million Palestinians and a half-million Israeli settlers — is the most volatile and violent it’s been for decades,” says Navai, who is known for her award-winning reporting from conflict zones (Afghanistan Undercover, Syria Undercover, Iraq Uncovered, UN Sex Abuse Scandal).

In Israel’s Second Front, Navai goes on the ground to investigate rising support for militant groups, including Hamas, since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the West Bank and the implications for a region on edge. Navai speaks to Palestinians and Israelis — including current and former officials — about the fraught situation in the West Bank, which many people fear could explode into a new front in the current war. She speaks with members of militant groups including Hamas about their ambitions, investigates increasing public support for Hamas in the West Bank, and documents Israeli Defense Force raids against militants in densely populated areas. She also speaks with West Bank residents whose family members were killed in attacks by extremist Israeli settlers.

You can watch the prologue for Israel’s Second Front above.

“People want to end the occupation,” Mustafa Barghouti, an opposition politician in the West Bank, tells Navai in the prologue. “That’s why they support anybody who resists occupation.”

In the prologue, Navai also asks former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren what Israelis want right now.

“Restoring security,” Oren says.

For the full story, watch Israel’s Second Front:

The documentary premiered on Jan. 23, 2024. It is available to watch on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, the PBS App and the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.

The premiere of Israel’s Second Front was followed by an encore presentation of Failure at the Fence, a groundbreaking visual investigation in collaboration with The Washington Post featuring a detailed examination of how Hamas was able to breach Israel’s vaunted security barrier on Oct. 7 and carry out its attack. Stream Failure at the Fence any time on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, the PBS App, the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel and on washingtonpost.com.

This story has been updated.