The Miniseries

The late Abba Eban (1915 - 2002) spent decades bearing witness to the creation of Israel as well as its political, military, and socioeconomic development since 1948. As Israel's first ambassador to both the United Nations and the United States, Eban stood at the forefront of the Jewish state's political negotiations with the rest of the world. A former British military officer, his eyewitness testimony and firsthand knowledge of modern Israeli history provide for a revealing and informative look into the country's turbulent, struggling yet often joyous past.

Israel: A Nation is Born was edited and hosted by Eban, whose witty banter and intelligent discourse provides for both an entertaining and informative program. The miniseries, which originally aired in five parts on PBS in 1992, is suffixed by On the Brink of Peace, a sixth one-hour program added in the mid-1990s. All six hours of programming are included in Home Video Entertainment's DVD release of the miniseries.

The series itself is fascinating and well researched. The producers of Israel: A Nation is Born combed through thousands of hours worth of archival footage to create the series, forming a document that takes a probing look into Israel's history. Their "warts-and-all" approach provides for a balanced look at the nation's history; the miniseries details many of the atrocities carried out in the name of Israel, including the bombing and destruction of the King David Hotel by a Jewish terrorist group, the retaliatory massacre of an Arab village in Jordan (an operation led by current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon), and the assassination of a UN Negotiator by Jewish extremists during the cease-fire in the 1948 War for Independence.

But the miniseries also celebrates Israeli's amazing innovations and brilliant military actions throughout its history, as well as exposing the aggression, intolerance, and the ridiculous double standards displayed on the part of the Arab Nations. The Middle Eastern conflict has always centered around land; the British Balfour declaration provided for a Jewish state and Arab state to coexist in the land of modern day Israel and Palestinian territories (a declaration which was routinely denounced and rejected  by the Arab Nations.) In the 1967 Six-Day War, in response to an illegal blockade of Israeli waters by the Egyptian navy (technically, an act of war), Israel responded on the offensive, seizing the Sinai from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Lebanon (a feat that tacticians around the world viewed as impossible), and the West Bank from Jordan, liberating the Old City which had been closed-off to Jews and Christians for decades. The resulting Palestinian conflict would indelibly mar the relationship between Israel and the rest of the world for decades, up to the present day. (The Palestinian Leadership, according to Eban, "never missed a chance to lose an opportunity.")

Israeli history is intrinsically linked to the U.S./Soviet Cold War; Russia was a strategic ally of Syria and provided weaponry to Egypt, whereas the U.S., while supportive of Israel, had to maintain strategic neutrality in order to prevent Soviet influence and undue control of the area. The victory in the Sinai War would not have been possible without French (!) and British aid and weaponry. In later years, Israel's position as a democratic ally to the United States also proved to a Western buffer in the largely dictatorial, repressive, and Soviet friendly Middle East.

As an ambassador and foreign minister, Abba Eban had firsthand knowledge of and dealings with much of Israel's political development, and his comments were indispensable in making Israel: A Nation is Born such a fascinating series. For those who wish to expand their knowledge and understanding of the history of Middle Eastern conflict and political drama, Israel: A Nation is Born paints an intriguing and thoroughly informative portrait.

The following six episodes are included in this DVD set:

Disc One:

• Program One: From the Rise of Zionism to 1948
• Program Two: The Creation of the State (1948-1956)

Disc Two:

• Program Three: Coming of Age (1956-1967)
• Program Four: Six Days That Changed the Middle East (1967-1973)

Disc Three:

• Program Five: New Conflicts, New Dreams (1973-1990)
• Program Six: On the Brink of Peace

The DVD

Video:
Israel: A Nation is Born was originally produced for PBS in early 1990s, and retains a television aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The program employed a variety of material utilizing varying film stocks, of many degrees of quality. A lot of the archival footage is in pretty ratty shape, while others look fairly strong. The videotaped footage from the 1990s look very stable, with a general lack of magnetic noise or ringing, as well as showcasing stable color levels. I did not detect any discernable compression noise or pixellation. Overall, the video provides a reasonable presentation of the miniseries. As some of the source material is in a degraded state, the transfer showcases a solid and vivid representation of said degraded material.

Audio:
The audio is showcased in monaural Dolby Digital 2.0, and is very satisfactory to the presentation of the film. As Israel: A Nation is Born is a documentary that utilizes a high degree of narration, the dialog is presented in a clear and capable manner. There is no distortion or hollowness to the center channel, and the orchestral score appears to be finely rendered.

Extras:
The Special Features can be found on Disc Six.

First out of the gate is the Israel Timeline, a series of text pages presenting a timeline featuring both Israeli History and World History from 1978 to 2002. A six-minute Shimon Peres Interview allows for the former prime minister to fondly share his recollections and thoughts of Abba Eban. Brief Reflections on Eban's Life is an eleven-minute featurette that highlights Eban's biography and his many accomplishments as ambassador and Foreign Minister of Israel. It's a short but reverential and entertaining look at a man with whose participation the State of Israel came into prominence. Tribute Letters From World Leaders reprints a series of letters of condolences written at the time of Eban's passing. Included in these world leaders are President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and current U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Mrs. Eban also received private condolences from President George W. Bush, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and President Mohamaed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

A 24-page booklet also includes a more extensive Israeli timeline (going back to 1882) as well as a reproduction of the New York Times obituary for Abba Eban.

Final Thoughts

Israel: A Nation is Born is a fascinating six-hour journey into the creation and development of the modern state of Israel, and a worthwhile companion in the understanding of the history of the region as it relates to modern world affairs. While all documentaries are "slanted" one way or another, Abba Eban's remembrances are surprisingly balanced. The documentary provides for a realistic look at Israel's history, problems, and struggles, revealing both of its darkest moments and joyous triumphs. Probably the best thing you can say about any non-fiction presentation is that it leaves you wanting for more, and Israel: A Nation is Born does exactly that. This three-disc DVD set comes well recommended.