The Holy Land at War

A Journey Through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

By: Mark Patinkin

Narrated by: Michael Bud

In this revealing journey through Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza itself, longtime journalist Mark Patinkin explores one of the world’s most divisive conflicts, capturing the stories of both sides in “The Holy Land at War.”

He saw where Oct. 7 unfolded, and later witnessed Palestinian hardship - and hospitality - in Ramallah and Bethlehem. He traveled through the now dystopian landscape inside the war zone, spoke with wounded IDF soldiers, the parents of Israeli hostages, and heard the words of everyday Palestinians struggling to survive in Gaza.

Patinkin took a similar trip three decades ago during the first intifada, and in 2024, caught up with many he interviewed then, weaving in their views on what has - and mostly hasn’t - changed.

“The Holy Land at War” is not a political analysis but a personal odyssey – one writer’s attempt to bear witness through those touched by this long conflict, Jews and Arabs sentenced together by history and geography.

Patinkin’s hope is that listeners will feel they have been brought along.

And that the journey will be revealing.

©2024 Mark Patinkin (P)2024 Mark Patinkin

A moving tale

The narrator brought the story to life and each chapter brought tears to my eyes, as I experienced both sides of this horrific conflict.

You can see both sides!

Soooo good. So informative. Listened and listened and listened again. Awesome information. I have a whole new prospective on this awful war!!!

Very one-sided

I looked forward to reading a balanced perspective on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, but was disappointed to find a very sad piece of pro-Israel propaganda. Patinkin’s propaganda is not clever, but may be slick enough to fool someone who lacks critical thinking skills. In chapter 10, he presents an account of traveling through a Palestinian village in an armored Israeli military vehicle with armed Israeli soldiers when a 4-year-old (yes, a four year old) Palestinian boy throws a rock at their vehicle. This scenario was presented in a way that cast the 4-year-old Palestinian child as hateful and the armed, adult Israeli soldiers inside their armored vehicle as victims. This type of theme is repeated throughout the book. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time or money on this.

Zionist Propaganda

As another reviewer wrote, this is very unclever propaganda. It repeats endlessly that children are indoctrinated to “hate,” that confronting or having negative views of the fascist setter regime is *unreasonable* and *extremist*. To Patinkin, a population under an illegal occupation, blockade, on an imposed “diet,” unable to move freely, under constant bombardment, threat, sanctions, extrajudicial state sanctioned mass murder, should respond by being polite and accepting their fate, and that somehow, some time in the distant future, if their behavior is deemed acceptable by the fascist regime, they may be able to come to the table to negotiate the terms of their servitude. This is an absurd set of demands. The only rational choice is resistance, on whatever terms the Palestinians choose. Not dictated by western donors of the Zionist regime and propagandists like the shameless Patinkin.