Our World (2007)
The Billion Dollar Gamble
2015 • E2 Feb 5, 2015 30m
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?