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The Billion Dollar Gamble

It's the first planned Palestinian city, a billion dollar project to build homes for 25,000 people. Though the main building work is largely finished the project, like the peace pr

It's the first planned Palestinian city, a billion dollar project to build homes for 25,000 people with a soccer stadium and even an amphitheatre, complete with Roman columns. Rawabi is the vision of an American-Palestinian multi-millionaire, Bashar Masri, who has staked his fortune on a better future for his people. Though the main building work is largely finished the project, like the peace process, has ground to a halt over disagreements between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Lyse Doucet charts Masri's progress over a year. She meets a family eager to move in, as well as critics, both Israeli and Palestinian. Can Masri finish the city? Or will events beyond his control get the better of his dream?

30 minutes

Last on

Fri 13 Feb 2015 03:30GMT

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