2006年VOA标准英语-Palestinians Condemn, Israel Welcomes, Saddam E

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
31 December 2006

Palestinians participate a rally to protest Saddam Hussein's execution in Jenin, 31 Dec 2006

The Palestinians have condemned² the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israeli officials have welcomed it.

Many Palestinians are mourning the death of Saddam Hussein, who is widely regarded as a hero in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. After the Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000, Saddam paid the families of each suicide bomber³ $25,000 and he gave $10,000 to the families of gunmen killed in fighting with Israel. He also fired 39 Scud⁴ missiles at Israel during the first Gulf⁵ War in 1991.

Therefore, Saddam is seen by many Palestinians as one of the only Arab leaders who stood up to Israel and the United States. He is being remembered in the Palestinian territories as a martyr⁶, especially since his last words were reportedly, "Palestine is Arab."

"We strongly condemn¹ this unjust execution for the Arab leader, Saddam Hussein," said a man on the street in Gaza.

 

Palestinians in the West Bank town of Bethlehem opened a "house of condolences," where dozens of people gathered to mourn the Iraqi leader. At a march in Gaza, participants displayed a poster with Saddam's picture next to that of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The mood was much different in Israel, where officials were glad to bid farewell to a man they saw as a supporter of Palestinian terrorism and a threat to the Jewish state.

Deputy Premier⁷ Shimon Peres said Saddam's execution "was a historic case of justice that does justice to history."

Cabinet Minister Yaakov Edri said Israel can breathe a sigh of relief.

Edri said all the enemies of the Jewish people will suffer the same fate as Saddam, including the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has threatened to wipe Israel off the map.

1 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 scud   

n.疾行；v.疾行

参考例句：

• The helpers came in a scud.救援者飞奔而来。
• Rabbits scud across the turf.兔子飞快地穿过草地。

5 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。

6 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

7 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。