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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The shattered window of a shop in the mixed city of Acre, northern Israel, 11 Oct 2008 |
Conflict is no stranger to the ancient Mediterranean1 port city of Acre. In millenniums past, the city has been the scene of a bloody2 rebellion against the Assyrians, been conquered by the Crusaders, and resisted Napoleon.
Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the picturesque3 city - on the list of the UNESCO world heritage sites - has been touted4 as a shining example of coexistence between its 70 percent Jewish majority and 30 percent Arab minority. That image was shattered this month, when Jews and Arabs went on a rampage.
It started on the eve of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, when an Arab, Tawfiq Jamal, drove his car, blaring loud music, through a Jewish neighborhood. Angered, Jewish youths chased and besieged5 the man.
Rumors6 that he had been killed spread quickly through Arab neighborhoods, drawing hundreds of mostly young Arabs to the Jewish neighborhood to retaliate7. This man, a Jew, was inside his home when it was surrounded by Arab youths.
He says hundreds of Arabs arrived at his house in the middle of the night, faces covered, turning over cars, breaking windows. He says his mother and father in law were terrified as hundreds surrounded the house, yelling "God is Great" in Arabic.
Jewish youths retaliated8 by setting fire to homes of Arabs and attacking their cars.
Most of the smashed cars have been hauled away and broken store windows repaired, but Acre remains9 a city in fear.
Israeli border policemen patrol in a market in the mixed city of Acre, northern Israel, 12 Oct 2008 |
Police have been posted to the main thoroughfares to check cars coming in and soldiers patrol the streets.
Acre's old city and waterfront, usually crowded with tourists during the Jewish holidays, is nearly deserted10. An Arab and owner of a souvenir shop, says he has not sold a thing in days.
He says the situation in Acre is very bad and reminds him of the Palestinian uprising eight years ago, when for two years he opened his shop in the morning and closed at sundown without selling one thing.
He and other Arab businesspeople on the Acre waterfront say tensions have been rising in recent years as the local authorities promote a plan to gentrify the old city.
He says he believes the Jews clearly want to push the Arab merchants out in order to bring investors11 in.
Arab activists12 say that while Israeli Arabs have full citizens' rights and are entitled to public health and other benefits, they continue to suffer discrimination in city services, education, and housing.
Sami Hawari is an Arab community advocate and writer.
"The fa?ade of coexistence in this city between Arabs and Jews, it is false advertising13 and I believe there is a lot of conflict between Arabs and Jews," he said. "Actually, Acre is representative of Israel. It is a microcosm of what is happening between Arabs and Jews in this land."
In the days after the riots, some Jewish factions14 distributed leaflets urging Jews not to patronize Arab shops. This 66-year-old Arab woman in Acre's old city says actions like these are doing little to heal wounds.
She says those who distributed the leaflets should be ashamed of themselves. Arabs, she says, make money off Jews and Jews make money off Arabs. Both should avoid attacking each other. But at the same time, she says if any Jew attacks an Arab, the Arabs will strike back.
Unlike their fellow Arabs in the Palestinian territories, Israeli Arabs consider themselves Israeli citizens. They enjoy democracy, the benefits of Israel's national health system, access to Israeli education, and the opportunities that Israel's strong economy offers. Virtually all Arabs interviewed in Acre say they would never consider moving to newly independent Palestinian state.
Near the scene of the riots, young Israelis - Jews and Arabs - gather for a quiet peace rally. A 30-year-old Jewish man attending the rally says both sides have no choice but to coexist.
"There is sort of the reality that it will never change. [Both] people live in the place and I cannot see them going out of the place. So even if there will be two states, I believe that Arabs will live in Jewish places ... and we will have to both learn how to make it happen," he said
Israelis disagree on how best to ensure peaceful coexistence. On the left, some politicians urge greater spending on social services for Arabs. On the right, some are calling for tougher law enforcement and penalties for those who disturb the peace, while extremists call for deportation15 of all Arabs.
1 Mediterranean | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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2 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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3 picturesque | |
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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4 touted | |
v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 );招揽;侦查;探听赛马情报 | |
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5 besieged | |
包围,围困,围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6 rumors | |
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷 | |
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7 retaliate | |
v.报复,反击 | |
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8 retaliated | |
v.报复,反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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10 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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11 investors | |
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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12 activists | |
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 ) | |
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13 advertising | |
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的 | |
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14 factions | |
组织中的小派别,派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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15 deportation | |
n.驱逐,放逐 | |
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