Israel Begins to Pull Troops in Gaza, Scaling Back Offensive

Israel said Friday that it had begun to redeploy troops in Gaza and remove some of them altogether as it (1) __________ back its 17-day military operation in the northern Gaza Strip after the deaths of more than 100 Palestinians. The operation was intended to end or sharply reduce the number of homemade Qassam (2) __________ attacks from northern Gaza on nearby Israeli towns like Sederot, and the army has been arguing for nearly a week that it has largely accomplished its goals.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Thursday night and agreed to scale back the operation, Israel's deadliest since the start of the second intifada four years ago, and (3) _________ out an unknown number of troops.

Early on Friday, Israelis fired rockets at militants they said were planting a bomb in Jabaliya, which is more like an urban slum than a (4) _________ camp. Three Palestinians, one member of Hamas and two members of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, died in the attack.

Later on Friday, the Israelis said they had shot at (5) ___________ trying to launch rockets from Jabaliya while surrounded by children, and all fled; two Qassam rockets were later launched, landing in a field near a town north of the Gaza Strip, but no one was injured. Hundreds of extra police officers (6) _________ the Old City and East Jerusalem, which is largely Arab, and police helicopters flew overhead.

On the West Bank, two Israeli settlers in the southern Hebron hills were arrested Friday after attacking Palestinians who were picking olives. Israeli farmers have complained that (7) __________ measures applied against Palestinians' movement in and out of the West Bank have badly harmed their ability to harvest olives this year.

Ex. 10. Work in pairs or in small groups. Discuss the following issues:

1. Israel vs. Palestine conflict.

2. Insergencies in Iraq.

3. India vs. Pakistan: the Kashmere knot of contradictions.

4. The Nothern Ireland: Catholics vs. Protestants.

5. The Basques: separatist movement.

Unit 4. Terrorism

Key vocabulary

Give equivalents in your mothertongue to the following English words and phrases:

To act against terrorism

ambush

to assassinate

assaults

to behead a hostage

bomb-laden suicide vest

booby-trapped cars, a booby-trapped, headless body

captive

carnage

to claim responsibility for the attack

combatants

cover

to curb

to detain Syn.: to capture

to detonate a bomb

to dismantle the network

fatalities

to fight Islamic extremism

to fight terrorism

to foil an attack

a fuel-truck bomb

hijacker

Informant

Intercepted communications

Interim government

laundering money illegally

militant

to plant a bomb

police crackdown

to press forward with (a plan)

to smuggle weapons

to be taken hostage

a religiously sanctioned holy war

to slay (slew, slain)

to be subject to limited economic sanctions by

a suicide bomber Syn. a suicide attacker

suicide bombing Syn. suicide blast

Ex. 1. Speak on the following:

1. Types of terrorism: a) transnational organized crime; b) state-sponsored terrorism; c) nationalistic; d) ideological.

2. Methods used by terrorists: aircraft hijacking, kidnapping, destruction of property, hostage-taking, bombings, assassinations.

3. Concerted international efforts: the use of sanctions, security measures, strenthening of international law.

Ex. 2. Before reading the newspaper article below discuss in pairs what you think