2007年VOA标准英语-Israelis Observe Yom Kippur Under Tight Securit

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
21 September 2007

Israelis are observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur under tight security. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the holiday coincides with a major Muslim observance, raising tensions in the Holy Land.

Israelis gathered at synagogues around the country for the holiest day on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It is a day of fasting in which the faithful ask God's forgiveness for their sins.

Security is tight. More than 2,000 Israeli police and soldiers deployed¹ in Jerusalem's walled Old City, where Muslims gathered for prayers at the Mosque² of al-Aksa, the site Jews call the Temple Mount.

Only Arabs with Israeli ID cards were allowed to attend the prayers marking the second Friday of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Fearing terrorist attacks, Israel barred Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from entering the country.

Iyad, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, told VOA that the restrictions³ violate freedom of worship.

"This kind of collective punishment, it's hurting the Palestinian people," he said.

Just below the mosque, Jews prayed at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the biblical Temple.

Israeli worshipper Rachel Kass was glad to see all the police and soldiers.

"Because our security services are on high alert, we can be pretty certain that we'll be safe," she said.

Israel virtually shuts down on Yom Kippur. Places of entertainment are closed, radio and TV broadcasts have gone off the air, and there is no traffic on the streets.

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制