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.

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.