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Tom Bateman concludes the story of the special relationship between the United States and Israel.

The alliance, going back decades, is one of the most consequential between two single countries on earth – and one of the most contested. The dynamics in the relationship not only amount to a matter of life and death for both societies on the land – Israelis and Palestinians – but form a bedrock of US policy for the entire Middle East.

In this series Tom will go back to 1947, when President Harry Truman had to decide whether to back the Zionist dream for a Jewish state. He'll examine the wars and crises which have gripped the region. But he will also venture well beyond the political, diplomatic and military relationships to examine the religious and cultural connections between the two countries. He'll explain how books, museums, Holy Land tours and newspaper coverage have profoundly affected what Americans think and feel about Israel, in a variety of different ways. As he does, he'll reveal how much the relationship has changed, as well as what has stayed the same.

In this final episode, Tom brings the story right up to the present. He'll take us inside the peace processes, examine the extraordinary impact of 9/11, consider the growing importance of Christian Zionism, and ask how political realignments in both countries have begun to shift the relationship.

Tom is the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s State Department Correspondent, covering US foreign policy, and was previously a Middle East Correspondent based in Jerusalem for 7 years.

Producer: Giles Edwards.