In “The Holy Land at War,” longtime journalist Mark Patinkin traveled to the Middle East to explore one of the world’s most divisive conflicts, capturing the stories of both sides in a revealing journey through Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza itself. He saw where Oct.

7 unfolded, and later witnessed Palestinian hardship - and hospitality - in Ramallah and Bethlehem. He walked 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 readers will feel they have been brought along. And that the journey will be revealing.

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