VOA标准英语2009年-Israeli PM: Re-Launch Peace Talks Immediat

By Michael Bowman
Washington
09 November 2009
 
Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his address before the 2009 General Assembly of The Jewish Federations¹ of North America in Washingtom, 09 Nov 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated his call for an immediate² resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Netanyahu addressed a gathering³ of North American Jewish leaders in Washington hours before he was to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed impatience⁴ to restart direct peace negotiations⁵ with Palestinians that have been suspended for nearly a year.

"I believe there is no time to waste," said Benjamin Netanyahu. "We need to move towards peace with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose. But to get to a peace agreement, we have to start negotiating the peace agreement. And it is high time that we stop negotiating about the negotiations. Let us get on with it. Let us move!"

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a freeze on Israeli settlements on the West Bank as a precondition to resuming talks with Israel. The Obama administration has also urged Israel to stop settlement construction.

Mr. Netanyahu has rejected an absolute halt on settlements, but expressed support for certain restrictions⁶.

"No Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activities as part of an effort to re-launch peace talks [as the current government]," he said. "So I say today to Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority: let us seize the moment to reach an historic agreement."

The prime minister was addressing an enthusiastically pro-Israeli audience at the annual convention of the Jewish Federations of North America. Nevertheless, a heckler briefly⁷ interrupted the early portion of his remarks, and was loudly booed by the crowd.

Mr. Netanyahu defended Israel's right to self-defense. He characterized Iran's nuclear program as a threat to Israel's security as well as that of the international community.

"The Iranian regime terrorizes its people, sponsors and supplies terrorists, and openly pledges to wipe Israel off the map," said Netanyahu. "Now just imagine how much more dangerous this regime would be if it had atomic bombs. The responsible members of the international community must unite to prevent this grave threat to the peace of the entire world."

Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely⁸ for peaceful energy purposes.

The Israeli prime minister's remarks preceded a private meeting with President Obama at the White House, where the two leaders are widely expected to discuss the Middle East peace process as well as Iran's nuclear program. 

1 federations   

n.联邦( federation的名词复数 )；同盟；联盟；联合会

参考例句：

• These problems are women's special problems and special work of women's federations. 这样的问题，就是妇女的特殊问题，就是妇联的特殊工作。 来自互联网
• The Bridge Federate is a feasible solution to achieve multi-federations interconnection. 基于桥接成员实现多联邦互连是目前较为通用和可行的方法。 来自互联网

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

5 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。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。