VOA慢速英语--以色列有意加强与阿拉伯联合酋长国的关系

Some Israelis are looking forward to going to Dubai and visiting the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Although people from all over the world visit Dubai, Israelis could not because the Emirate did not have diplomatic relations with Israel. That will change soon.

Last week, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced plans to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. That would make the UAE only the third Arab nation to do so.

The move has caused a lot of interest in Israel. It will bring years of covert¹ business and security ties into the open. And it will open an appealing destination for travel-happy Israelis.

Israeli television stations have already sent reporters to the rich Persian Gulf² nation. Local media has shown images of Dubai's tall, shiny buildings, huge shopping malls, manmade islands and coastline. Newspapers have been publishing stories about a "new Middle East." They are also stories about the Emirati economy, countryside, and ruling family.

The United States negotiated the diplomatic deal between Israel and the UAE. The agreement also extends an alliance against Iran. The UAE has said it halted Israel's contentious³ plans to claim up to one-third of the West Bank. The Palestinians also want that land as part of a Palestinian state.

For many Israelis, however, the appeal of ties with the UAE lies mainly in reaching their goal of acceptance in the Middle East. They also think that ties will improve tourism and business opportunities.

Gadi Nir is co-founder and chief of Bobo, an Israeli company that makes physiotherapy and rehabilitative⁴ products. His business recently signed one of Israel's first deals with a UAE company.

Nir told The Associated Press that, in the past, his company had to use other companies to do business with the UAE.

"We used to have to ‘launder⁵ the products' and go through all kinds of intermediaries to do business with Arabs," said Nir. "Now we can get personal. We don't have to hide under the carpet anymore," he added.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace estimates that hidden trade between Israel and the Gulf states is more than $1 billion a year. A large part of that is between Israel and the UAE. Now, those numbers are likely to increase.

The agreement between the countries is supposed to include direct flights, although that could require approval from Saudi Arabia to use its airspace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that work to establish the flight paths was taking place.

Israeli travel agents say they have already received many calls from Emirati travel agents. In addition, Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin sent a letter to Crown Prince Mohammed bin⁶ Zayed Al Nahyan to invite him to visit Israel.

The surprise statement last week has caused many people to wonder which Arab nation will be next. For Israel, Saudi Arabia — which still has not commented publicly on the UAE's decision — would be the biggest prize.

It is not a surprise that the UAE would be the first state in the Gulf to establish ties with Israel. The UAE is a grouping of seven sheikhdoms that was founded in 1971. It has no major history with Jews, no shared border, and no direct conflict with Israel.

Emirati officials had permitted Israeli government officials to visit in recent years. Some Israelis have long been interested in the UAE, and especially Dubai. Israelis who have foreign passports visit often. Israeli delegations⁷ have been given special permission to visit.

Many Israelis hope ties with the UAE will develop into a far warmer relationship than those with Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel after many years of conflict.

Erel Margalit is an investor⁸ and a former Israeli lawmaker. He says there is Emirati interest not only in buying goods but in joint⁹ investing in technology.

Margalit predicted diplomatic ties would bring Israel closer to other Arab nations. "It's about building relationships for the long term."

Ross Kriel is president of the Jewish Council of the Emirates. He called the establishment of diplomatic ties a "sea change."

"Our community members look forward to direct flights to Israel and welcoming Israeli friends and visitors to the UAE," he said.

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

Words in This Story

covert – adj. done in a way that is not easily seen; secret or hidden

destination – n. the place to which someone is going

shopping mall – n. a large building or series of buildings containing stores and restaurants

contentious – adj. something that is argued or disputed

tourism – n. the operation of vacations and visits to places of interest

rehabilitative – adj. related to the action of returning someone to health or normal life

launder – v. to secretly carry out financial activities through a business or bank

carpet – n. flood covering

sea change –n. (idiom) a big and sudden change

1 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 rehabilitative   

使复原的，复职的

参考例句：

• Objective To desacribe self concept and sub concept of rehabilitative schizophrenic patients. 目的探讨恢复期精神分裂症病人的自我概念。
• Objective To desacribe self concept and concept of rehabilitative schizophrenic patients. 目的探讨大学生自我概念与心理健康之间的关系。

5 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

6 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

7 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。