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Israel_protests_download

Israel_protests_download

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Tens of thousands of Israelis protest against Prime Minister Netanyahu, demanding his resignation for failing to bring back Israeli hostages from Gaza. Netanyahu insists he's doing everything he can and wants to remain as Prime Minister. The protests highlight political tensions in Israel. The vocabulary includes "on show" meaning something is visible or displayed, "up against a wall" meaning in a difficult position, and "play into someone's hands" meaning to give an advantage to an opponent. Israel protests. Netanyahu under pressure. This is News Review from BBC Learning English, where we help you understand news headlines in English. I'm Beth. And I'm Georgie. Make sure you watch to the end to learn the vocabulary you need to talk about this story. And remember to subscribe to our channel to learn more English from the headlines. Now, today's story. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in the country's biggest anti-government protest since the 7th of October, attacked by Hamas. The protesters want Prime Minister Netanyahu to resign for failing to bring home the remaining 130 Israeli hostages still in Gaza and other issues. It's not known how many are still alive. Netanyahu says he's doing everything he can and intends to remain as Prime Minister. Around 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's military response to the attack, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. You've been looking at the headlines. What's the vocabulary that people need to understand this news story in English? We have on show, up against a wall and play into someone's hands. This is News Review from BBC Learning English. Let's have our first headline. This one's from BBC News. Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu protests put political divides back on show. So, this headline is about the recent protests against Netanyahu and how they are highlighting political tensions. We're looking at on show. Now, a show is a performance, like a concert or a play, something that grabs your attention. Georgie, is that what's happening here? Yes. If something is on show, it means that everyone can see it. It's on display. A bit like the verb show, if I show you my script, Beth, it means that I put it somewhere that you can see it. So, in this story, the protests in Israel mean that the political divides have become more obvious. Yes, and political divides put back on show means that they were on show in the past and now they are on show again. Can you give us some other examples of on show? Well, it's often used in the context of art and exhibitions. So, an artist's paintings can be on show in an art gallery or dinosaur bones can be on show in a fossil exhibition, for example. That's right. OK, let's look at that again. Let's have a look at our next headline. This one's from People's Dispatch. So, this headline is about one of the reasons for the protests. Israelis want their hostages back. Now, we're looking at the idiom against a wall. Now, if I were literally against a wall, I would feel quite trapped. Is that what's happening here? Yes, that's right. To be up against a wall means that you're in a very bad or difficult position. OK, so moving away from the horrors of war, a more everyday situation. If my boss asks me to work in the evenings, it means I can't spend time with my family. There are two things I need to do or want to do, and I can't do them at the same time. So, I feel up against a wall. I feel trapped. Yes, we also have the phrase up against it with a similar meaning. Up against it and up against a wall both mean that you're facing big problems, but up against it has an added element of being under time pressure. So, if I have a lot of work to do before a work deadline that's coming very soon, I might tell you that I feel up against it. OK, let's look at that again. Let's have our next headline. This one's from Times of Israel. As protesters demand he go, Netanyahu argues election would play into Hamas's hands. So, the protesters want Netanyahu to go, but he says that this would play into Hamas's hands. Now, Georgie, what does it mean to play into someone's hands? Well, the idiom comes from card playing. The collection of cards that you're holding in a card game is called your hand. Now, if you play into someone else's hands, it means that you give your opponent an advantage and damage yourself. Right. So, Netanyahu thinks that if he leaves government, it will help his enemy, Hamas. It will play into their hands. Exactly. We can also add the word right to add emphasis. Again, moving to a less serious situation than war. If a football player is sent off the pitch with a red card, that plays right into the other team's hands. That team has an advantage because they have more players. Yes, that's right. Or, for example, if a spy trips over and makes a loud noise, it plays right into the enemy's hands because now they know where the spy is hiding. OK, let's look at that again. We've had on show. Obvious for people to see. Up against a wall in a difficult position. Add play into someone's hands. Give your opponent an advantage. Watch more news review on our website and learn how to talk about world events in English. Thanks for joining us. Bye. Bye.

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