VOA标准英语2011--Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Exchange Brings Joy, Fuels Debate

Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Exchange Brings Joy, Fuels Debate

Tuesday's exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has brought happiness to many in the region - but the underlying¹ confrontations² remain.

Israel's release of 477 Palestinian prisoners brought celebrations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Under the deal, 550 more Palestinians are to be freed in two months.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said it made sure that prisoners from other Palestinian groups and from the West Bank were included in the swap³. This has raised hopes of reconciliation⁴ with its rival, Fatah, which controls the West Bank.

Some believe the release has strengthened Hamas and weakened support for the head of Fatah and Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, because of the lack of progress in peace talks with Israel.

Gaza-based analyst⁵ Mahmoud Ajrami says historically, Palestinians held by Israel have been freed only through such exchanges. Ajrami believes the success of this release will lead to attempts to repeat it.

"The Palestinian resistance movement will arrest more Israeli soldiers [in order] to release our brothers and sisters in the Israeli jails," Ajrami said.

The Palestinians were freed in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by militants⁶ five years ago during a clash.

As Shalit was welcomed home Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a stiff response to any acts of violence.

He said Israel will continue to fight terrorism, and that any released "terrorist who returns to terrorism" will be taking his life into his hands.

There are hopes that Shalit's release could lead Israel to ease its economic blockade of Gaza. The blockade of the land and sea boundaries has raised poverty levels in Gaza. Consumer goods are being smuggled⁷ through tunnels from Egypt, but so are weapons -- some used later for attacks on Israel.

There are also hopes the prisoner exchange will boost efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The Mideast Quartet, made up of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, is making a push to restart the talks.

But Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and rejects the negotiations⁸. After the successful release of prisoners, its leaders say their goal is to free the remaining 5,000 Palestinians still in Israeli jails.

Many Israelis fear this means more attempts to seize Israeli soldiers in the future.

1 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

2 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

3 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

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 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

8 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。