2007年VOA标准英语-US Urges Restraint as Mideast Violence Continue

By David Gollust
State Department
17 May 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas Thursday to discuss the latest outburst of violence in Gaza. Rice, appealing for restraint by all sides, is expected to visit the region again within a matter of weeks. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

rubble1 of a building after an Israeli air strike on the facility used by the Islamic group Hamas in Gaza City, 17 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070606/0917100.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Palestinians search the rubble of a building after an Israeli air strike on the facility used by the Islamic group Hamas in Gaza City, 17 May 2007

State Department officials are watching the intra-Palestinian violence and Israeli retaliation² to rocket firings from Gaza with concern though they say the events of the last few days have not derailed U.S. efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.

Rice, just back from a trip to Moscow, made separate telephone calls Thursday morning to Prime Minister Olmert and Mr. Abbas to discuss the Gaza events.

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said she appealed for restraint on the part of all the parties while acknowledging that Israel, which has conducted air strikes in Gaza, is entitled to self defense³ from Gaza missile attacks.

"We understand that the Israeli government has a right to defend itself, and they have explained that their actions over the past day or so have been trying to stop further rocket launches into Israeli territory, rocket launches that have injured Israeli citizens," said McCormack.

"But we've also urged them to consider the consequences of their actions on the Palestinian infrastructure⁴ as well as on what effect it might have on the prospects⁵ for moving forward the political process," he added.

McCormack put the blame squarely on Hamas for the latest intra-Palestinian violence in Gaza. He said to achieve peace Palestinians must resolve the fundamental political contradiction posed by the Islamic movement, which seeks to both govern and remain an armed faction⁶.

Secretary Rice, who has already visited the region three times this year, had considered another in connection with her Moscow trip. But she put it off because of Mr. Olmert's political difficulties stemming from last year's Lebanon conflict.

A senior U.S. diplomat⁷ told reporters she will hold another round of talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming weeks, in part to press the sides to act on confidence-building steps proposed by the United States earlier this month.

The United States has asked Israel over the next several weeks to, among other things, dismantle⁸ some security checkpoints in the West Bank and allow Palestinian bus travel between the West Bank and Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority is to develop and then enact⁹ a plan by late June to stop the rocket firings into Israel from militant¹⁰ factions¹¹ in Gaza.

U.S. officials describe the plan as a set of benchmarks, as opposed to deadlines, aimed at improving the climate for political talks.

1 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。

2 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》

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

6 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。

7 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

8 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

9 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

10 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。

11 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别