VOA标准英语2010年-Villagers on Israel-Lebanon Border Liv

Israel and the United Nations are set to continue talks in the coming weeks on the fate of Ghajar, a village on the Lebanon-Israel border.  The 2,000 residents of  Ghajar are Alawites and identify culturally with Syria  which the village was a part of until Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. But a map drawn¹ up by Israel and the U.N. in 2000 puts the border through the middle of the village, splitting it between Israel and Lebanon.  Now, residents are protesting a handover to Lebanon. Many say they want to remain a part of Israel. 

You could call the al-Ahmed family's grocery store a multi-national enterprise. 

The soft drinks section is in Israel.  Soap and cleaning supplies are in Lebanon.

"All these products are products from Israel," said Mohsen al-Ahmed.

Mohsen al-Ahmed, speaking perfect Hebrew, says his life is tied to Israel, and prospects² of being handed over to Lebanon are frightening. 

"It is true that I am an Arab and Lebanon is an Arab country," he said. "But handing my village over would be like having to grow up all over again, in a country that I do not know anything about.   All we know is the security and economic situation there. I am concerned."

Even worse for residents is having their village split.  When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, Israeli forces opted³ to leave Ghajar physically⁴ undivided and they put the Israeli border checkpoint on the northern entrance to the village. 

But the national boundary, known as the Blue Line, runs through the middle of Ghajar, straight through al-Ahmed's store.

Retired⁵ Major General Giora Eiland was responsible for negotiating the arrangements, in 2000, for Israel's withdrawal⁶ from Lebanon. 

"The line of withdrawal officially is not a border, because a border should be recognized by both sides and the Lebanese never agreed to negotiate with Israel about a line of a border," said Giora Eiland. "So this line, in a way it is a temporary line that was agreed between the United Nations and Israel simply because there was no other party on the other side."

The result is a life in limbo⁷ for the people of Ghajar.  They are Israeli citizens but  cannot access services on the northern, Lebanese side of town.

Village spokesman Najib Khatib says Israeli repairmen, for example, will go only as far as the checkpoint. So a broken refrigerator has to be hauled to the fence for repair.  If someone dies, he says it is the same process for getting Israeli authorities to certify⁸ the death.

"They say, bring the body to the checkpoint," said Najib Khatib. "We say, let us live honorably and die honorably.  Is a body like a broken appliance that you have to haul to the checkpoint?  We are not even allowed to die with decorum."

To clear matters, Israel could take northern Ghajar from Lebanon, or hand the entire village to Lebanon.  But Giora Eiland says no option is acceptable to all.

"Neither the U.N. nor the Lebanese agree that Israel could annex⁹ a certain area from Lebanon," he said. "So, we are left with a third option which is the division of the village."

For now, U.N. troops patrol the area between the Lebanese part of Ghajar and the rest of Lebanon. 

It's a precarious¹⁰ status quo. But Mohsen al-Ahmed says the current arrangement is the best thing for him at this time. He wants to remain in Israel. 

"The best thing for me is to stay in the country I was born in, the country I grew up in, that I know and understand, where I know how to live and manage," he said.

Through the centuries, Ghajar has changed hands many times.   For its people today, the question is where the fence will end up next.

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 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。

3 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

4 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

8 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

9 annex   

vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物

参考例句：

• It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
• The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。

10 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。