2006年VOA标准英语-Israeli-Palestinian Summit Could Take Place by

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
21 December 2006

A rare summit between Israeli and Palestinian leaders could take place in a few days. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, plans for the meeting are going ahead, despite a fresh wave of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

 
Mahmoud Abbas (16 Dec 2006)
Moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he hopes to hold a long-awaited summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by the end of the year.

Mr. Abbas told a news conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah that there has been progress in preparations for the meeting, which would be the first since Mr. Olmert was elected in March.

 
Ehud Olmert (File photo)
Mr. Olmert will not deal with the ruling Islamic militant¹ group Hamas because it seeks Israel's destruction. But he supports President Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen, because he opposes the policies of Hamas.

"We want to negotiate with Abu Mazen, we will be meeting with him, and I plan to see him and see what I can do to help him," he said.

Plans for the summit coincide with an escalation² in Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that are testing a fragile cease-fire. At least 10 homemade Kassam rockets have been fired at Israel during the past two days, but Mr. Olmert is opting³ for restraint.

 
Jenin Al-Masri looks into her family house in northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, after rocket misfired by Palestinian militants⁴ hit it, injuring one child, 21 Dec 2006
"There was a cease-fire declared a month ago, and since then there were 40 Kassam rockets shot from Gaza," he said. "And the shooting continues and Israel did not respond even one time."

With rival Palestinian factions⁶ fighting each other in Gaza over the past 10 days, officials say Israel does not want to exacerbate⁷ a situation that is already chaotic⁸ and unstable⁹.

Hamas and the rival Fatah faction⁵, led by Mr. Abbas, agreed to a cease-fire Tuesday in a bid to end the bloodshed that has raised fears of a Palestinian civil war. That truce¹⁰ appears to be taking hold.

1 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。

2 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

3 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

8 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

9 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

10 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。