VOA常速英语2008年-Israel Condemns Carter Meeting With Hamas Leade

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
18 April 2008

Israel has condemned¹ the meeting between former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the exiled leader of the Islamic militant² group Hamas in Damascus. But as Robert Berger reports from the VOA's Jerusalem bureau, there are some dissenting³ voices.

The Israeli government believes former President Carter's meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal harms the global war on terrorism and the Middle East peace process. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, refuses to renounce⁴ violence or recognize the Jewish state, and therefore, Israel says the organization should be shunned⁵ and not embraced.

Israeli analyst⁶ Dan Dyker says Mr. Carter's meeting in Damascus strengthens Hamas while weakening the moderate, internationally-backed government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

"By going to speak to an Iranian agent in Khaled Meshaal in Syria, all that does is to weaken the forces in the Palestinian Authority that are amenable⁷ to a peace agreement with Israel," he said.

Most Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, snubbed Mr. Carter on his visit here, not only because of his plans to meet Hamas, but also because of his book that compared Israeli policies to apartheid.

"Carter's comments have been widely distorted regarding Israel," said Dan Dyker. "His book is filled with distortions of fact, mistakes of fact. And therefore I think it places him, because of his delegitimization of Israel which he continues to engage in, it places him out of the bounds of diplomacy⁸."

But some Israelis see things differently. Cabinet Minister Eli Yishai told Mr. Carter this week that he wants to meet with Hamas to discuss a prisoner swap⁹ for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been held in Gaza for nearly two years. Yishai says he asked Carter to arrange a meeting.

Former Israeli diplomat¹⁰ David Kimche says that when it comes to Shalit, Mr. Carter's talks in Damascus could be useful.

"We have unfinished business with Hamas and that is Shalit, and if he can in any manner or form persuade Meshaal to come forward and do something on that, then I don't seem much harm in that from our point of view," he said.

But that is clearly not the position of Israel's government which believes Hamas is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 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。

3 dissenting   

adj.不同意的

参考例句：

• He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
• A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。

4 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

5 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 amenable   

adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的

参考例句：

• His scientific discoveries are amenable to the laws of physics.他在科学上的发现经得起物理定律的检验。
• He is amenable to counsel.他这人听劝。

8 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

9 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

10 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。