2007年VOA标准英语-Israel to Release 90 Palestinian Prisoners This

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
23 September 2007

Israel will release more Palestinian prisoners this week in a bid to advance the peace process. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the move has brought criticism from Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Israel's Cabinet approved the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners from the Fatah faction¹ by a vote of 16 to six. Officials say it is a goodwill² gesture to U.S.-backed Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israel wants to strengthen the moderate Abbas government in the West Bank, three months after the Islamic militant³ group Hamas routed Fatah forces and seized control of the Gaza Strip.

The prisoner issue is extremely charged on both sides. Shaul Mofaz is one of the six Israeli Cabinet ministers who voted against the prisoner release.

Mofaz told Israel Radio that the prisoner release is an act of weakness. He said the Palestinian Authority is in chaos⁴ and anarchy⁵, and there is no reason for Israel to release terrorists without getting anything in return.

But if the release of 90 prisoners is too much for many Israelis, it is not enough for the Palestinians. A Hamas official in Gaza, Ahmed Yousef, demanded the release of all 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

"Actually, nobody [is] paying attention to our Palestinians suffering in Israeli prisons, some of them spent more than 20 years in jail," said Yousef. 

Israel hopes the prisoner release will improve the atmosphere in negotiations⁶ between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Abbas. They are trying to hammer out a document on Palestinian statehood that would be presented at an international peace conference in the United States, possibly in November.

1 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。

2 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

3 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。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。