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Tom Bateman examines the history of the special relationship between the United States and Israel.

The alliance, going back decades, is one of the most consequential between two single countries on earth – and one of the most contested. The dynamics in the relationship not only amount to a matter of life and death for both societies on the land – Israelis and Palestinians – but form a bedrock of US policy for the entire Middle East.

In this series Tom will go back to 1947, when President Harry Truman had to decide whether to back the Zionist dream for a Jewish state. He'll examine the wars and crises which have gripped the region. But he will also venture well beyond the political, diplomatic and military relationships to examine the religious and cultural connections between the two countries. He'll explain how books, museums, Holy Land tours and newspaper coverage have profoundly affected what Americans think and feel about Israel, in a variety of different ways. As he does, he'll reveal how much the relationship has changed, as well as what has stayed the same.

In this first episode, Tom covers the beginning of the relationship. He'll look at the debate within President Harry Truman's administration about whether to back Zionism; at the book and film which Americanised the story of Israel's founding for millions of Americans; and at how the wars in 1956 and 1967 changed Americans' perceptions of Israel.

As the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s State Department Correspondent, covering US foreign policy in a time of extraordinary change, and previously a Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem for 7 years, Tom is perfectly placed to tell this story.

Producer: Giles Edwards.