VOA标准英语2009年-Israel Says No Cease-Fire Until Hamas Releases

Israel has decided¹ not to lift its blockade on border crossings into the Gaza Strip until the militant² group Hamas hands over a captive Israeli soldier. The decision to set the soldier's release as a top condition is expected to complicate³ prospects⁴ for a long-term truce⁵ between Israel and the militants⁶ in Gaza.

Israel has made the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier seized by Palestinian militants and taken to the Gaza Strip in 2006, a top condition for reaching a long-term cease-fire deal with Hamas, the militant Islamist group that controls Gaza.

Members of the Israeli Security Cabinet affirmed that condition - a decision that may further stall efforts for an Egyptian-mediated peace agreement.

Hamas' top demand is for Israel to lift its blockade of border crossings into the Gaza Strip.
　
Khaled Mashaal (file photo)

The group has said it wants to keep negotiations⁷ over the release of Shalit separate from any bargaining over a cease-fire accord. The exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, earlier rejected any connection between the two issues.

He said it is not possible to link the cease-fire with the issue of the Israeli prisoner Gilad Shalit. He said Hamas' position is that Gilad Shalit will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held by the Israeli occupation.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has hoped to secure the release of Shalit before he leaves office, within a few weeks. He has insisted that Shalit's release happen before Israel re-opens border crossings with Gaza.
　
Ehud Olmert

In remarks this week, Mr. Olmert said this condition is in addition to permanent security guarantees from Hamas.

"This is the priority of Israel: First Gilad Shalit," said Olmert. "Second, the end of smuggling⁸ of arms across the Egyptian border through the Philadelphi line into Gaza. And third, complete, total cease-fire and any hostile activities by the Hamas from Gaza."

The purpose of Israel's security cabinet meeting on Wednesday was to discuss details related to Hamas' demands for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The prisoners include some who Israel says were involved in terrorist attacks that killed Israeli civilians⁹.

Prime Minister Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, told VOA after Wednesday's closed-door meeting Cabinet members approved a number of prisoners that could be exchanged for the safe release of Shalit.

"The cabinet is willing for an exchange with Hamas," said Regev. "We understand that there will be a price involved, that we will have to release, probably, some particularly despicable terrorists who are in Israel jails. But, to get our young serviceman out, we are willing to do that."

Officials did not give details who or how many prisoners might be swapped¹⁰ in a possible deal.

Militants in Gaza have continued to fire rockets into Israel on an almost daily basis, even after Israel's 22-day assault on the enclave that ended January 18. Israeli warplanes on Wednesday targeted smuggling tunnels in the south of the Strip and a suspected militant base in response to rocket and mortar¹¹ attacks from Gaza.

Residents complain they have not been able to rebuild the thousands of homes destroyed in the Israeli raids, which killed a reported 1,300 people.

Scores of trucks loaded with humanitarian¹² supplies have been crossing the border daily, but none of them are allowed to carry construction materials. The Israeli blockade includes a ban on cement, glass, and steel products - materials that Israel says militants could use to build bunkers and weapons to step up their attacks on the Jewish state.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

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 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

4 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 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。

8 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

11 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。