VOA标准英语2009-Palestinians Reject Israeli Settlement Offer

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says peace talks cannot resume until Israel also halts settlement activity in East Jerusalem. His comments come a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a 10-month halt for new building permits for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank - a move welcomed by Washington.

Mil Arcega | Washington 26 November 2009

 
Palestinian authority spokesman, Abdullah Abdullah

"These obligations include the total freeze of settlements including the natural growth in all the occupied Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem," said Palestinian spokesman

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says peace talks cannot resume until Israel also halts settlement activity in East Jerusalem.  His comments come a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a 10-month halt for new building permits for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank - a move welcomed by Washington. 

After making what it called an "unprecedented¹ step" towards achieving peace in the Middle East, Israel said the next move is up to the Palestinians.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev called on Palestinians to move quickly.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev

"We've called for a total cessation of all new settlement building for a period of 10 months," said Regev. "Now this is an important step and now I think the Palestinians have to answer in kind."

But instead of accepting the proposed halt in settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian leaders rejected the peace offering, as "nothing new".
 
A Palestinian authority spokesman, Abdullah Abdullah, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must commit to a full settlement freeze, not a partial one.

"He should have said that he is ready to apply, to implement² all the obligations that are necessary for the success of negotiations³," said Abdullah Abdullah. "  These obligations include the total freeze of settlements including the natural growth in all the occupied Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem."

Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Yasser Abed Rabbo) said any talks aimed at reaching a two-state solution must include Jerusalem.

"Without Jerusalem there is no way that we can move towards a genuine peace process," said Palestinians spokesman. "Jerusalem is part of the occupied territories [since] 1967."

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed⁴ it in a move that was not recognized internationally.  Israeli officials authorized⁵ new settlement construction there last week. 

While Washington praised Mr. Netanyahu's gesture as a step forward, US Middle East envoy⁶ George Mitchell acknowledged the plan falls short. "As we and others have said many times, the way to move forward is to enter negotiations without preconditions and reach agreements on the two-state solution, a Jewish state of Israel living side by side in peace and security with an independent, contiguous and viable⁷ Palestinian state," said Mitchell.

Mitchell, who has been trying for months to negotiate a solution to the Israeli, Palestinian impasse⁸, is scheduled to arrive in the region next month for further talks.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

3 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。

4 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

5 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

6 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

7 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

8 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。