2006年VOA标准英语-Israel Reopens Critical Gaza Border Crossi

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
09 March 2006
 
Israel has reopened the main commercial border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Israeli officials say the crossing was reopened for humanitarian¹ reasons after warnings that a food crisis could develop in Gaza.

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An Israeli soldier stands guard as trucks wait to cross into Gaza at the Karni Crossing, the morning after an attack by Palestinian militants² in the area between Israel and the Gaza Strip (File photo)   
  

The Karni crossing has been closed, intermittently³, since late January, after Israel said it received warnings of a terrorist threat against the crossing and Palestinian authorities discovered a tunnel near the crossing, that led from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. Karni has been completely closed since February 21.

Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Economics Nasser Saraj warned Wednesday that critical food items such as flour are in short supply in the Gaza Strip and that panic could grow in the area as a result of the closure. Israeli officials, such as Mark Regev, the spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry⁴ say the crossing was closed for legitimate⁵ security reasons.

"We are interested in having the crossing opening, functioning and running. It is in our interest that people goods and produce go in and out of Gaza as freely as possible. A good situation in Gaza is good for Israel. No one wants to see hardship in Gaza. No one wants to see hardship," said Regev. "Everyone wants to see the situation in Palestinian-controlled Gaza improve. The crossing was closed only because there was a specific security threat against the crossing -- a terrorist threat to attack the crossing once it was opening; to attack the officials and the security personnel around the crossing."

Karni is the main transshipment point for goods in and out of Gaza and the closure of the crossing has had a devastating⁶ impact on commerce in Gaza. A report from the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaked to the Reuters news agency this week, says the closing of the crossing costs Palestinians nearly $450,000 a day in lost revenue.

Many Palestinians say the crossing was closed by Israel as retaliation⁷ for Palestinians voting to give Hamas a majority in Palestinian parliamentary elections in January - something Israeli officials strongly deny.

"We all know this has nothing to do with security. This is a passage between Gaza and Israel," said Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in talks with Israelis. "This is a humanitarian livelihood⁸ for Palestinians, this is the food supply, and I believe this is collective punishment. I think to have this collective punishment, to stop food and medical supplies, including milk, is a form of collective punishment which is completely unacceptable."

In November, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokered⁹ a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians to allow 150 trucks to pass through the Gaza / Israel Karni crossing on a daily basis, as well as allowing regular bus convoys¹⁰ between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. However, a World Bank report, released this week, says there has been no sustained improvement in the movement of goods across Karni since Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip last year.

The intermittant closure of the Karni crossing comes as Israel has increased the number of roadblocks and barricades¹¹ in the West Bank by 25 percent, since last year. Israeli officials say the closures and roadblocks are in response to a recent upsurge in individual attacks by Palestinians against Israelis. A United Nations report on the issue says the travel restrictions¹² have made it difficult for farmers to transport their produce and have prevented people from obtaining medical services and visiting relatives in the West Bank.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 intermittently   

adv.间歇地；断断续续

参考例句：

• Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。 来自英汉文学
• The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。 来自辞典例句

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

9 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

10 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

11 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制