2006年VOA标准英语-Hamas Emerges as a Political Power in West

By Simon Marks
Gaza
25 January 2006
 
watch Palestinian Election report

Palestinians are voting today (Wednesday) in legislative¹ elections that could dramatically reshape the political landscape in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Hamas, the radical² Islamic organization that has launched suicide bomb attacks against Israel, is fielding candidates in the election and is expected to do well. Though Hamas is accused by Israel, the U.S., and the European Union of being a terrorist organization, it is winning widespread support for its political message.

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Ghazi Hamas   
  

Ghazi Hamad says he is the new face of Hamas, and if everything goes according to plan, by Thursday morning he will be one of the party’s first representatives elected to the Palestinian Parliament.

Hamas officially calls for the destruction of Israel and it’s waged an armed struggle to bring that about. But now it’s fighting a political battle for hearts, minds and votes.

So why is Hamas suddenly embracing mainstream³ politics? He says, “Because everything changed.  Everything changed.”

Changed -- after the Israelis withdrew from Gaza last year, razing⁴ their settlements to the ground in the process. The rubble⁵ of Israeli settlers homes litters the landscape here and Hamas sees this as fertile soil in which to lay political roots.

Mr. Hamad explains, “Really, we are not radical organization and we are not extremist fundamentalists. We are an open-minded organization that believes in democracy and freedom and political pluralization. I think we can create a new society.”

Green banners, scarves and hats -- supporters of Hamas   
  
Critics of Hamas disagree. Though its candidates campaign in Gaza amid a sea of green banners, scarves and hats, the organization remains⁶ widely accused of having blood on its hands. It's honored a ceasefire for more than a year, but its leaders won't rule out a possible resumption of rocket and suicide attacks against Israel once the election ends.

“Their children are sleeping and dreaming sweet dreams," says Mr. Hamad, "and we are suffering from everything.”

Suffering in large measure, Hamas asserts, because of the failed leadership of the Palestinian Authority.

It's dominated by Fatah, the political faction⁷ led by the late Yassir Arafat  and both in Gaza and the West Bank its candidates are in trouble.

Hamas accuses Fatah of failing to deliver security, economic development, and peace in the 10 years that it has dominated Palestinian politics. If that message resonates with voters here it is Hamas that could soon be facing some tough questions of its own.

Will Hamas push, for example, to Islamicize Palestinians' largely secular⁸ society? Can it be any more effective at providing security, combating corruption⁹, and the tribal¹⁰ feuds¹¹ that have exploded here? And will it agree to abandon the armed struggle in order to concentrate on politics and the peace process?

Salah Abdel Shafi  
  
Salah Abdel Shafi, a political analyst¹², shares his analysis. "If Hamas wants to be part of a new Palestinian democratic political system, Hamas has to abide¹³ by the rules of the game, which means there is only one authority, one security force, and it has to dissolve its armed wing.“

Also at issue here, the future of international aid to the Palestinian Authority. Lawmakers in both the U.S. and Europe say they don’t want to deal with terrorists in government.

But Hamas says its thinking is evolving and so must the global view of an organization whose bloodied¹⁴ hands are now edging closer to the levers of political power.

1 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。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

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 razing   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Years of war culminated in nothing less than a brutal razing of the city. 经年的战争给这座城市带来的不亚于灭顶之灾。 来自互联网

5 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

9 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 feuds   

n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Quarrels and feuds between tribes became incessant. 部落间的争吵、反目成仇的事件接连不断。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• There were feuds in the palace, no one can deny. 宫里也有斗争，这是无可否认的。 来自辞典例句

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

14 bloodied   

v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• His pants leg was torn and bloodied when he fell. 他跌交时裤腿破了，还染上了血。 来自辞典例句