2007年VOA标准英语-At Least 12 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Raid

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
27 June 2007

At least 12 Palestinians, most of them armed militants², have been killed as Israel launched a limited ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau that the violence is adding to the hardships in the territory following the Palestinian civil war earlier this month.

Palestinian man carries wounded boy at Shifa hospital in Gaza City

Israeli tanks pushed into northern and southern Gaza in a fresh attempt to halt Palestinian rocket attacks. Heavy clashes erupted as Palestinian militants fought back with automatic weapons and anti-tank missiles.

In Gaza City, a senior commander from the Islamic Jihad's rocket unit was killed when his car exploded. The group said the car was targeted in an air strike, but Israel denied involvement.

It was the heaviest fighting since the Islamic militant¹ group Hamas seized control of Gaza two weeks ago, after routing the forces of the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel Cabinet Minister Tzahi Hanegbi said rocket attacks will not be tolerated.

Hanegbi told Israel Radio that the Hamas takeover of Gaza will not prevent the army from taking necessary action to reduce terrorist activity.

But Palestinians say the Israeli raids have made a bad situation even worse.

Safwat Kahalut, a journalist in Gaza, told Israel Radio that the people are in despair, because Israel has sealed off its borders with Gaza and there is no money and little food.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (r) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before their meeting at the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 25 Jun 2007

Israel has tightened³ economic sanctions on Hamas, a group that seeks the destruction of the Jewish state. At the same time, Israel plans to release hundreds of millions of dollars in withheld⁴ tax revenues to the moderate government of President Abbas in the West Bank.

Responding to the Israeli raids, Hamas accused Mr. Abbas of conspiring⁵ with Israel to bring down the government in Gaza.

1 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。

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 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

4 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。