海角大神

Palestinians聽clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied聽West Bank聽on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when the creation of聽Israel's caused many to lose their homes and become refugees.

A shell fired from聽Gaza, which is ruled by the聽Islamist聽movement聽Hamas, exploded in an open area of聽Israel聽but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

U.S. Secretary of State聽John Kerry聽is to return to the region on Tuesday in another bid to revive peace talks frozen since 2010.

But a resolution remains elusive and many Palestinians聽want refugees and their descendants to return to lands now in聽Israel聽- an idea聽Israel聽rejects, saying it would spell the end of the Jewish state.

Protesters skirmished with Israeli forces outside a refugee camp near the聽West Bank聽city of Hebron and at a prison near聽Ramallah. Several Palestinians聽were injured.

Israeli police in Jerusalem聽scuffled with Palestinian protesters, tossing stun grenades and making several arrests.

Thousands also rallied in the main聽square of Ramallah, the Palestinian聽de facto capital while聽Jerusalem聽remains under Israeli control, holding up placards with the names of villages depopulated in 1948 and old keys, symbols of lost homes.

"For the sake of my future and to return to my family's land, I don't want any more useless negotiations but the path of resistance and the rifle," said聽Ahmed al-Bedu, a gangly 15-year-old Palestinian who holds Jordanian citizenship.

Israel聽declared independence on May 14, 1948 on the eve of the end of British rule over Palestine, and neighbouring Arab armies invaded in a sharp escalation of fighting already raging between Jews and local Arabs. Five months earlier, the United Nations had adopted a plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, a blueprint rejected by Arabs.

5.3 million registered refugees聽

Many Arab residents fled or were expelled by force from their homes and prevented from returning. Only聽Jordan, which now has a peace treaty with聽Israel, gave the refugees citizenship.

According to official Palestinian figures published this week, 5.3 million Palestinians聽- almost half of their total number in the world - are registered by the聽United Nations聽as refugees in聽Syria,聽Lebanon,聽Jordan, the聽West Bank聽and聽Gaza.

Many of them live in the concrete warrens of overcrowded camps, with poor access to employment and basic services.

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority and himself a refugee from a town now in northern聽Israel, stoked Palestinian outrage last year by telling an Israeli news channel he did not seek to return home.

Saeb Erekat, Abbas's top negotiator with聽Israel, said on Wednesday that sectarian conflicts in聽Syria聽and聽Iraq聽endangered Palestinians聽there and that聽Israel's "refusal to assume responsibility for the refugee question" and to agree on a "just solution" for them was harming prospects for peace.

The聽Palestinian Authority聽seeks an independent state in the聽West Bank聽and聽Gaza Strip聽with East聽Jerusalem聽as its capital - all lands captured by聽Israel聽in the 1967聽Middle East聽war.聽Israel聽deems聽Jerusalem聽its "eternal and indivisible" capital.

Hamas聽rejects聽Israel's existence and refuses to renounce violence against it, saying a return of refugees can be attained only through armed force.

"Any initiatives and solutions that do not secure the return of our full rights will be rejected by our people. Our holy land is not for sale or bargain," the group said in a statement.

"Resistance by all its forms, and foremost armed resistance, will remain our way to extract our rights."

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Robin Pomeroy)