Presenting Two Probing Documentaries on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

When Hamas attacked Israel and Israel began its retaliation in Gaza this fall, we re-released Shattered Dreams of Peace: The Road From Oslo, a seminal 2002 FRONTLINE documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process set in motion by the 1993 Oslo Accord — and how it had all fallen apart. At the same time, we quickly began working on new reporting and new documentaries examining the conflict and its ramifications. 

Tonight, we are presenting two of those films in a special two-hour broadcast. First, a major new FRONTLINE documentary, Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza, offers a sweeping examination of critical moments leading up to this crisis, and the pivotal role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Starting with Oslo and continuing through the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s ongoing response, Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza is an incisive and deeply reported look at the long history of failed peace efforts and violent conflict in the region — and the increasing tensions between Israel and its ally, the U.S., over the war’s civilian toll and what comes next.

The documentary features the accounts of insiders and advisors to Netanyahu, U.S. presidents and Palestinian leadership, as well as key insights from experts and observers of the decades-long conflict. These include compelling interviews our team conducted over the past several weeks, as well as ones from our 2016 documentary Netanyahu at War.

The 90-minute documentary will be followed by Failure at the Fence, a visual investigation in collaboration with The Washington Post that features a detailed examination of how Hamas was able to breach Israel’s vaunted security barrier on Oct. 7 and carry out its attack. This special collaboration stems from a Postreconstruction published in November, now deepened with additional on-the-ground reporting and riveting interviews that present a remarkable picture of how, as the Post reporters show, Hamas was planning the attack in plain sight, and Israel was blinded to its own vulnerabilities.

Our two-part, two-hour special featuring Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza and Failure at the Fence premieres tonight, Dec. 19, at 7 pm ET at pbs.org/frontline and in the PBS App, and at 10/9c on PBS (check local listings) and FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel. You will also be able to watch Failure at the Fence and read related, in-depth reporting at washingtonpost.com.

I hope that you will watch these two powerful reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — and that you will stay tuned for more from us on the Middle East in the new year.