Exit Polls Indicate Likud Rejection of Sharon Disengagement

Ross Dunn

Exit polls in Israel show that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan from some Palestinian areas has been firmly rejected by his Likud Party. While Mr. Sharon has acknowledged defeat in Sunday's referendum, he says he has no intention of resigning.

The exit polls broadcast late Sunday showed that between 58 and 62 percent of Likud members voted against the prime minister's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

Observers say opponents of the plan were more motivated than Mr. Sharon's supporters. The Likud Central Elections Committee says that only about 40 percent of the nearly 200,000 members eligible¹ to take part in the referendum actually cast ballots².

Besides low-voter turnout, another factor that appeared to weigh against the prime minister was the killing³ on Sunday of a pregnant Israeli woman and her four daughters in an ambush⁴ by Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip.

It is believed the killings⁵ prompted many previously⁶ undecided Likud voters to reject the plan.

Mr. Sharon said in a statement late Sunday that he intended to remain as prime minister despite the outcome of the referendum. He also suggested that his Likud Party would not have the final say on the plan.

Mr. Sharon said that, in addition to consulting members of his own faction⁷, he would also talk with other parties, as well as his cabinet ministers, on the ramifications⁹ of the result.

Mr. Sharon says he was elected to find a way to "bring peace and security," which may indicate he still intends to take the plan before the cabinet and the parliament, where he is more confident of winning majority support. "One thing is clear to me," the prime minister said, "the Israeli people did not elect me to sit on my hands for four years."

The Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qureia, praised the referendum result and urged Mr. Sharon to abandon his plan.

The Palestinian leader says the best chance for peace is for Israel and the Palestinians to revive talks aimed at reaching a permanent agreement to end their conflict.

Mr. Qureia had welcomed efforts to hand over more territory to the Palestinians but was against this being done unilaterally, as envisioned under Mr. Sharon's plan.
注释:
exit poll 出口民意调查
unilateral [5ju:ni5lAtErEl] adj. 单方面
referendum [7refE5rendEm] n. 公民投票
resign [ri5zain] v. 辞去，辞职
motivated [5mEutiveitid] adj. 有动机的
eligible [5elidVEbl] adj. 符合条件的
turnout [5tE:naut] n. 聚集的人群，出席者
outcome [5autkQm] n. 结果
faction [5fAkFEn] n. 派别，小集团
ramification⁸ [7rAmifi5keiFEn] n. 分歧
abandon [E5bAndEn] vt. 放弃
envision [in5viVEn] vt. 预想

1 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

2 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

8 ramification   

n.分枝，分派，衍生物

参考例句：

• Public relation of police is a ramification of modern public relations.警察公共关系是现代公共关系的衍生物。
• An apple tree,after going through a long time ramification and sprouting,finally fruited.一棵苹果树经过漫长的分枝抽叶终于结果了。

9 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》