艺术家从加沙边境抗议活动中汲取灵感和素材

Artist Takes Inspiration, Materials From Gaza Border Protests

Weekly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers have once again become part of daily life over the past year in Gaza. A local artist has found inspiration and even raw materials as a result of the violence.

Majdi Abu Taqeya is an artist who creates dioramas, small models of real places and happenings.

Abu Taqeya, a 38-year-old retired¹ naval² policeman, spends hours creating models of the protests. He carves figures from pieces of ammunition³ collected in the area. He uses wool and cotton to create the look of the smoke that floats over the protest camps.

A bullet gave him the idea to make dioramas, Abu Taqeya said. At the first day of the protests, which began on March 30, 2018, Abu Taqeya's brother was shot in the leg. Doctors took out the bullet and he then brought it home.

"I turned it into a small statue of a soldier and I gave it to him," he told the news agency Reuters.

“It was then when I got the idea to start recycling the remnants of the occupation,” said Abu Taqeya.

He lives in the Nusseirat refugee camp. His neighbors who have been shot have given him their bullets.

"This bullet was taken from a girl's body, I turned it into a bullet with a butterfly on the top," said Abu Taqeya.

Last Thursday, protest organizers called for demonstrations⁴ on March 30 to mark the one year anniversary of the renewed clashes. Abu Taqeya urged demonstrators to stay away from the fence.

Gazan health authorities said Israeli soldiers have killed about 200 people since the protests began a year ago.

The protestors are demanding the right to return to land currently controlled by Israel. Protestors say their ancestors fled or were expelled during fighting over Israel’s founding in 1948.

Israel says militants⁵ infiltrate⁶ the protests. It says it uses deadly force against militants trying to destroy the border fence.

A Palestinian gunman recently killed an Israeli soldier in the area.

Recent UN statements have criticized Israel's security forces’ actions during the protests, as well as those of Hamas, the group that governs Gaza.

Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005. It keeps strong control over the territory's borders.

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

carve – v. to make (something, such as a sculpture or design) by cutting off pieces of the material it is made of

wool – n. the soft, thick hair of sheep and some other animals

remnant – n. the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone— usually plural⁷ — often + of

infiltrate – v. to secretly enter or join (something, such as a group or an organization) in order to get information or do harm

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 infiltrate   

vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润

参考例句：

• The teacher tried to infiltrate her ideas into the children's minds.老师设法把她的思想渗透到孩子们的心中。
• It can infiltrate as much as 100 kilometers into enemy territory at night.可以在夜间深入敌领土100千米。

7 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。