VOA标准英语2009年-Netanyahu Heads to US Amid Crisis in Peace

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
08 November 2009

Israel's leader is heading to the United States, but trouble is brewing¹ back home with the Palestinians.

 
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington amid a deepening crisis in the peace process.  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to step down because of Israel's refusal to freeze all settlement expansion.

Mr. Abbas, who rules the West Bank, is seen as a moderate alternative to the Islamic militant² group Hamas. which controls the Gaza Strip.  So Israel has urged him to back down from his threat not to run for re-election in January.

But Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says Israel has not given anything to Mr. Abbas.  

Speaking at a conference in the West Bank, Erekat accused Israel of "stabbing" President Abbas "in the back."

Mr. Netanyahu, who will be in Washington for a speech to American Jewish leaders, opposes demands by the Palestinians and the United States for a complete freeze on settlement construction, offering a partial freeze instead.  He says Israel is prepared to resume peace talks immediately, but Mr. Abbas is demanding concessions³ in advance.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.

"We are calling on the Palestinians to sit with us, continue the negotiations⁴ and the dialogue, without preconditions," Ayalon said.

Erekat says peace talks must pick up where they left off nearly a year ago under the previous Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Erekat said at that time Israel offered a Palestinian state in all of Gaza, and 93 percent of the West Bank, with land swaps⁵ to make up the difference.  But the Palestinians rejected it because of a dispute over sovereignty in Jerusalem's Old City.

Mr. Netanyahu is offering much less of the West Bank and is not willing to discuss Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem.  So the Palestinians say resuming peace talks with the current Israeli government is a non-starter.    

1 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

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 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

4 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。

5 swaps   

交换( swap的名词复数 )； 交换物，被掉换者

参考例句：

• He swaps his old car for a new motorcycle. 他用旧车换了一辆新摩托车。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• Swaps the anchor and end points of the current selection. 交换当前所选内容的定位点和结束点。