VOA标准英语2009年-Abbas's Call for Elections Deepens Palesti

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
24 October 2009

 
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (File)
The Palestinian Authority has announced a date for elections, throwing a wrench¹ into national unity² talks with its Islamic militant³ rivals.

Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree that presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on January 24. But the announcement only deepened Palestinian divisions.

The vote is supposed to take place in the West Bank, which is controlled by Mr. Abbas, and the Gaza Strip which is ruled by its rival faction⁴ Hamas. But Hamas quickly rejected the call for elections, saying it is illegal and unconstitutional. 

Senior Hamas official Ahmad Bahar told a news conference in Gaza that Mr. Abbas's rule is illegitimate and he has no authority to declare elections. He said Mr. Abbas should be put on trial "for impersonating a president."

Hamas routed Mr. Abbas's Fatah forces in the Palestinian civil war in Gaza in 2007 and seized control of Gaza; since then, the two factions⁵ have been at loggerheads. Mr. Abbas now heads a more moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank that supports the peace process with Israel. 

Speaking to Fatah members in the West Bank town of Ramallah, President Abbas took his own swipe at Hamas.

Hamas describes my government as illegitimate, he said. But Hamas is the one that seized power in a coup⁶. Mr. Abbas said that is illegal and illegitimate. He said he is required by the Palestinian constitution to hold elections in January.

The Palestinian divisions pose a major obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, which is the stated goal of the peace process sponsored by the United States. Hamas refuses to renounce⁷ violence or recognize Israel, and Israel says as long as the group rules Gaza, there cannot be a Palestinian state.

Egypt has tried to overcome this obstacle by sponsoring reconciliation⁸ talks between Hamas and Fatah. But as one Hamas official put it: Mr. Abbas has dealt a "lethal⁹ blow to reconciliation."

1 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

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 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。

5 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

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 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。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。