Israeli troops kill 13 protesters along Lebanon border

Potential new flashpoints in the Middle East unrest have opened after Israel shot at pro-Palestinian protesters on its borders with Syria and Lebanon, killing at least 13 people and drawing furious condemnation from the Syrian regime.

Protests erupted in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem as well as on Israel's northern borders, as Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops and police and hundreds were injured.

Demonstrators commemorating Nakba day, marking the 1948 war in which hundreds of thousands of people became refugees after being forced out of their homes, were met with live gunfire, rubber bullets, stun grenades and teargas.

Although Israel had been braced for violent protests, the clashes on its borders were largely unexpected. Israeli politicians, already deeply alarmed about uprisings in neighbouring Arab countries, now face heightened tensions with Syria and Lebanon.

(The Guardian, 16 May 2011)

vocabulary

potential	possible; that can develop into
flashpoints	situations in which violence starts and cannot be controlled
unrest	social and political discontent
drawing	producing (a reaction or response)
condemnation	criticism; an expression of very strong disapproval
erupted	broke out; started happening, suddenly and violently
clashed	fought; came into conflict
commemorating	reminding; remembering; honouring the memory of
forced	drove; compelled
stun grenades	small bombs that shock people so that they cannot do anything, without seriously injuring them
braced	prepared itself (for the difficulty, shock, etc)
alarmed	worried; anxious
heightened	intensified

Model sentences and idiomatic expressions with “clash”:

• The two sets of supporters clashed outside the stadium.
• The two teams clash in tomorrow's final.
• Demonstrators clashed violently with police.
• Troops clashed near the border.

• The president and Congress clashed again over the budget.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

1. heightened 2. commemorates 3. braced 4. flashpoint 5. erupted

1. Tension in the city is rapidly reaching . . . . . .

2. The unrest . . . . . into revolution.

3. A plaque . . . . . the battle.

4. UN troops are . . . . . for more violence.

5. Tension has . . . . . after the recent bomb attack.

Answer key: 1. flashpoint 2. erupted 3. commemorates 4. braced 5. heightened