World War I finds Jerusalem under Ottoman rule. Prince Faisal leads an Arab revolt, aided and encouraged by Britain. The war ends with the British in control, declaring the Crusades over and setting in train the city's next great conflict.

While World War II rages, Palestinian Arabs feel trapped. The British Mandate ends, and the state of Israel is declared. War breaks out, ending in Israel's independence. The Holy City lies divided into a no-man's land of barbed wires.

Israel and its Arab neighbors are at war again on the streets of the Old City itself. While Israel emerges victorious, its control on territory earmarked for a Palestinian state creates the dilemma plaguing the Holy Land to this day.