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From Our Own Correspondent: Division, Drought and a Velvet Divorce

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Division, Drought and a Velvet Divorce

23/12/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Division, Drought and a Velvet Divorce

Tales from Jerusalem, a disputed Buddhist site, Paraguay's arid Chaco and Czechoslovakia

Tales from the streets of Jerusalem's Old City, a Cambodian Buddhist temple turned battlefield, the parched lands of Paraguay's Chaco and memories of the breakup of Czechoslovakia

Pascale Harter introduces stories of turf wars and battles for land, by correspondents and writers around the world.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - so when Donald Trump announced a change in the official American policy on the city, it was bound to be controversial. Yolande Knell walked the streets of the Old City to hear what local people make of recent pronouncements. 

Even Buddhists can fight - with other Buddhists - over the rights to a sacred site. Mark Stratton explores how a Wat Preah Viheer - an ancient Hindu temple turned Buddhist monastery, on the Cambodian / Thai border, once turned into a battlefield. 

In the parched lands of Paraguay's Chaco region, Linda Pressly learns why the wildlife's coming out into the open to drink - and what that reveals about the wider thirst for water from the silted-up Pilcomayo water system in the area.

And Chris Bowlby reflects on the lessons of an earlier divorce within Europe. 25 years ago, the country known as "Czechoslovakia" decided to split into separate Czech and Slovak republics - and it turned out that despite all the preparation and the national pride, there were still some unexpected hurdles to clear. 

Photo: A Palestinian protestor confronts a member of the Israeli security forces in Jerusalem's Old City on December 15, 2017 after US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise the city as the capital of Israel.( THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

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