Organized criminal groups, long referred to as “cartels,” have evolved far beyond drug trafficking. They are now paramilitary regimes, political influencers, and multi-billion-dollar enterprises with global tentacles. Their operations extend from smuggling corridors to congressional bribes. They’ve effectively replaced the rule of law in entire municipalities.

After months of travel, interviews, and archival research in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Tel Aviv, Gaza, and Amman, what emerged was not just a timeline of events—but a living, breathing narrative of two peoples trapped in a cycle of mutual memory, sacred land, and irreconcilable grief.