VOA标准英语2014--克里称以色列与巴勒斯坦敌对现状不可持续

 

Kerry: Israeli, Palestinian Status Quo Unsustainable 克里称以色列与巴勒斯坦敌对现状不可持续

STATE DEPARTMENT—

As Israeli politicians campaign to lead a new government, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says current hostilities¹ between Israelis and Palestinians cannot hold.

The violence that has followed the breakdown² of U.S.-led peace talks shows there is no way forward without changing course, Kerry told foreign policy leaders in Washington.

“The status quo between the Israelis and the Palestinians is not sustainable, and the alternatives to peace are neither acceptable nor viable,” he said.

With Israel’s parliament dissolved ahead of fresh elections, Kerry says the Obama administration stands ready to be engaged “once the parties themselves make the tough decisions required to get back to the talks.”

“There is an election in the next few months now in Israel, and the Israeli people will have important choices to make for their future," he said. "And we look forward to working closely with the new government, whatever its composition, whenever it is formed.  And we will absolutely not involve ourselves in any way in the middle of the choice of the people of Israel.”

Campaigning for re-election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the talks failed because Palestinians in the West Bank chose Hamas over peace with Israel.

“The coming election is about one question - who will lead the country through the tremendous challenges facing Israel - security, economic, regional," he said. "We need a large, experienced ruling party.”

Israeli Labor³ Party leader Isaac Herzog believes there can be a two-state solution.

"I think it's a mistake that we already assumed that it's over. It is part of that tragedy that unfolds in front of our eyes," he said. "It is not true. I am telling you absolutely. It is possible, absolutely possible still to make peace with the Palestinians."

With security high among Israeli electoral concerns, Kerry says regional unity⁴ in the fight against Islamic State militants⁵ - who are also known as Daesh - could help ease the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We continue to explore how the new regional dynamic regarding Daesh and the Arab world will enhance the security of Israel and its neighbors," he said. "Yes, we know that Israel has to be strong to make peace, but we also know that real peace will make Israel stronger.”

But Iran’s involvement in that fight in Syria and Iraq continues to concern Israeli leaders, especially as Tehran backs Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, says regional security analyst⁶ Nora Bensahel.

“For Iran, Lebanon and Syria are not that separate a thing. And of course that has effects on Israel," she said. "So I don’t think that the Iranians necessarily see what has been going on in terms of Hezbollah action in Syria as a diversion. I think they see that as one big interconnected set of issues.”

For now, Kerry says it is important to keep alive hopes for a lasting⁷ peace, to work to build the Palestinian economy and create the conditions for successful negotiations⁸.

1 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

2 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 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。

6 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。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

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。