2007年VOA标准英语-Israeli Prime Minister Meets Congressional Lead

By Dan Robinson
Washington
19 June 2007

Following his meeting with President Bush, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert went to Capitol Hill for talk s with congressional leaders. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, these came as U.S. lawmakers joined the Bush administration and Israel in supporting the newly-formed government in the West Bank of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Harry1 Reid, Rep. Nancy Pelosi " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070629/0821490.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

From left: Israel's PM Ehud Olmert, Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Nancy Pelosi

Prime Minister Olmert, with House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders, stopped briefly³ before cameras before going into their talks late Tuesday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid re-stated bipartisan support for Israel:

 

PELOSI: With the Republican and Democratic leaders gathered here you see how strong the bipartisanship is for a great U.S.-Israel relationship. We are honored by the prime minister's visit and we look forward to hearing from him about the situation in the Middle East.

REID: With no equivocation⁴ or exception, we have no friend in the world like the state of Israel.

"Let me just express to you Mr. Prime Minister what I think you already know, the strong bipartisan support here in Congress for the U.S.-Israeli relationship. When it comes to Israel and our bilateral⁵ relationship there really are no differences here in the Congress, we welcome you back in the Capitol," said Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Prime Minister Olmert thanked the lawmakers for the bipartisan show of support. "This is a great source of strength and encouragement for the people of Israel to know that we can rely on this friendship, in good times and bad times, we always have the support of the U.S. Congress," he said.

This was Olmert's second visit to the Capitol as Prime Minister, having addressed a joint⁶ meeting of Congress just over a year ago.

But it came as the U.S., European allies, and Israel seek to bolster⁷ the Fatah-based government of Palestinian president Abbas, who formed an emergency government in the West Bank after the anti-Israel Hamas took over power in Gaza following fierce street battles with Fatah.

Appearing with President Bush at the White House (Tuesday) Prime Minister Olmert told reporters Israel wants to strengthen Palestinian moderates.

On Capitol Hill this week, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democrat² Tom Lantos, welcomed the Bush administration decision to resume aid for Palestinians, as long as U.S. funds do not fall into the hands of Hamas.

Congress has also demonstrated support for Israel in various pieces of legislation, including a resolution urging the U.N. Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the international convention against genocide because of his calls for the destruction of Israel.

Democratic Congresswomen Diane Watson was joined on the House floor this week by Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen:

WATSON: His pledge to wipe Israel off the map, and his denial of the Holocaust⁸ have shocked the civilized⁹ world.

LEHTINEN: While most people desire to live in a world of freedom, liberty, prosperity and peace, Iran's rulers actively¹⁰ seek a world of oppression, destruction, of war, a world without Israel and without a United States of America.

The question of potential threats to Israel from Iran's nuclear program was also a topic during the Israeli prime minister's appearance at the White House with President Bush. "I fully¹¹ understand the concerns of any Israeli when they hear the voice of the man in Iran saying on the one hand we want to acquire the technologies and know-how¹² to enrich uranium which can then be converted into a nuclear weapon, and on the other hand we want to destroy Israel, if I were a Israeli citizen I would view that as a serious threat to my security," he said.

President Bush Tuesday repeated his hope for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, but repeated his long-standing position that all options are on the table.

Legislation to increase financial pressure on Tehran, through sanctions on its energy sector¹³ as well as other steps, is moving through Congress.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 equivocation   

n.模棱两可的话，含糊话

参考例句：

• These actions must be condemned without equivocation. 对这些行为必须毫不含糊地予以谴责。 来自辞典例句
• With caution, and with some equivocation, Bohr took a further step. 玻尔谨慎地而又有些含糊其词地采取了更深入的步骤。 来自辞典例句

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

9 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

10 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

13 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。