Palestinians mark 'catastrophe'


Palestinians view Israel's founding as a catastrophe


Palestinians are marking the 60th anniversary of al-Nakba or "the Catastrophe" - the founding of Israel - with a series of marches and protests.
More than 700000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled in 1948 during the war that followed Israel's declaration of independence.
The events come on the second day of US President George Bush's visit.
He is currently in Israel joining the Jewish state's 60th anniversary commemorations and pushing peace talks.
Palestinians will be marking the date with a march to Israeli military checkpoints in the West Bank and a demonstration at the Palestinian Authority president's compound in Ramallah.
Six decades after the founding of Israel the Palestinians are still seeking an independent state.
The fate of 1948 refugees and their descendents living scattered in camps and settlements around the region remains one of the thorniest issues in peace talks.
Speaking on Wednesday Mr Bush repeated his belief that Israel and the Palestinians can strike a deal to bring about a Palestinian state by the end of the year which the two sides pledged to do at a US-sponsored conference last November.
We share a powerful belief and a weapon against terrorists - the cause of hope freedom and liberty


President George W Bush






But correspondents say few in the region are optimistic that tangible progress is being made in the talks despite repeated visits by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The US president's comments came as 14 people including a mother and daughter were injured when a rocket fired from Gaza hit the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Earlier in the day four people were killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Addressing a conference in Jerusalem Mr Bush described Israel as a "thriving democracy" which "like other democracies is being challenged by extremists and terrorists."
"America stands for peace and so does Israel" he said in Jerusalem.
"And as we stand for peace we must understand the realities of the world in which we live. We share a powerful belief and a weapon against terrorists - the cause of hope freedom and liberty."
While Mr Bush praised Israel many Palestinians accuse the country of hurting the innocent and of collective punishment in its attempts to quash Palestinian militants says the BBC's Katya Adler in Jerusalem.
Mr Bush's Middle East visit will include Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an attempt to inject some momentum into the current peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. But there will be no trilateral summit between the American Israeli and Palestinian leaders however and Mr Bush will not be visiting the Palestinian territories. Instead he is to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt.