VOA标准英语2010年-Palestinians Mark 'Nakba' or 'Catastro

Palestinians hold a key symbolizing¹ the keys to houses left by Palestinians in 1948, during a rally marking the anniversary of the 'Naqba,' Arabic for catastrophe², in Gaza City, 15 May 2010

Thousands of Palestinians have briefly³ put aside bitter political differences to mourn the anniversary of Israel's creation.

Palestinians marched through the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, marking the "Naqba" or "catastrophe" of Israel's creation in 1948. During Israel's War of Independence that year, some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes and became refugees.

The demonstrators carried big keys, symbolizing the so-called "right of return," a pillar of Palestinian nationalism. The Palestinians demand that refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to their former homes in Israel.

Israeli Arabs also joined the demonstrations⁴. Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, told a rally that Palestinians will return with their keys to open the doors of their former homes.

Salah said refugees would return to areas, which are now part of the State of Israel, including Galilee, Haifa, Acre and Jaffa.

The right of return has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in nearly 20 years of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations⁵ and is likely to pose further obstacles in new peace talks that began a week ago. All Israeli governments, both left and right, have categorically rejected the right of return. Israel believes that flooding the Jewish state with hundreds of thousands of potentially hostile Palestinian refugees would be national suicide.
 

1 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

2 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

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 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。