2006年VOA标准英语-Palestinian Activists Put Away Guns, Push

By Sonja Pace
Jerusalem
25 January 2006

 
Palestinian family look at a voting list outside a polling station in the West Bank City of Jenin, 25 January 2006
  
Palestinians are voting for a new parliament at polling stations throughout the Gaza Strip, as well as in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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Polling stations opened early and lines soon began to form as Palestinians came to cast their ballot¹ for the 132-member legislature.

Election officials said that by midday about 40 percent of the more than one million eligible² voters had voted.

The first parliamentary election in 10 years is proving to be a close contest between the ruling, mainstream³ Fatah faction⁴ and the militant⁵ Islamic group Hamas.

Security has been tight amid fears that activists⁶ might try to derail or influence the vote. That did not happen.

Palestinian journalist Mohammed Dawas reports from Gaza that while Fatah and Hamas activists gathered around polling sites to promote their candidates, they came without guns.

"Both Fatah and Hamas activists are found in every polling station. Everybody is pushing the people to vote for him [i.e., for their candidates]. No guns, nothing in the street - only the police carrying guns," said Dawas.

Hamas has traditionally had strong support in the Gaza Strip and in recent local elections the group made a strong showing in both Gaza and the West Bank. But this is the first time Hamas is taking part in broader legislative⁷ elections and its campaign promises of clean government and change resonate with many voters.

"Some voters said we are coming to vote for Hamas because we want to vote for change, while other people said we are going to vote for other small parties because also we want some change," said Palestinian reporter Khalil Assali from the West Bank city of Ramallah. "The rest of the people saying we are voting for Fatah simply because Fatah was the leader of the Palestinian struggle during all these years and they should be in the coming years."

Public opinion polls indicate Palestinians hope a newly elected government will deliver some positive changes to make their lives better.

Israel and much of the outside world is watching closely. Israel, the United States, the European Union and many others consider Hamas a terrorist organization and there is concern about what the group's entry into a Palestinian government will mean for future peace efforts.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 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。

3 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

4 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。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。