2007年VOA标准英语-Gaza Fighting Puts Unity Government in Jeopardy

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
12 June 2007

Heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian factions² Hamas and Fatah escalated³ sharply Tuesday. Leaders of the Fatah faction¹ are meeting to discuss whether to withdraw from the three-month-old Palestinian unity⁴ government. VOA's Jim Teeple reports at least 24 people were killed Tuesday.

Smoke rises during fighting between Fata and Hamas factions in Gaza City

Hamas gunmen attacked a Fatah security compound in Gaza City late Tuesday in a sharp escalation⁵ of fighting that seems to be spiraling out of control. In another ominous⁶ sign, Egyptian security officials called off a meeting between the two factions.

A statement from the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah, accused Hamas leaders of plotting a coup⁷, saying they were trying to seize control of Gaza by force.

Hamas leaders like Fawzi Barhoum rejected the comments.

Barhoum says Mr. Abbas is adding to the tensions. He says the Palestinian president should be more balanced.

A large Fatah security force known as the National Security Forces was deployed⁸ late Tuesday to defend Fatah positions.

Earlier in the day, gunmen attacked Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's house with rocket-propelled grenades. Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, was not harmed. Hamas called the attack an assassination⁹ attempt.

Tuesday's large scale violence follows a spike¹⁰ in fighting over the past few days that has spilled over into hospitals and brought ordinary life to a halt in much of the Gaza Strip. Reporter Mohammed Dawass says much of the original fighting seemed to be carried out by armed gangs who appeared to be acting¹¹ on their own. "I think this is happening because there is no control on the armed people in the streets by their leaders. I do not think anybody can control them actually. Nobody can control these armed men in the streets," he said.

The violence, which has included summary public executions, forced a first time-ever cancellation¹² of school and university entrance exams.

Dawass says the violence could not have happened at a worse time. "These exams are very important because they decide whether you either go to a university or not; whether you either go to a good college or note. This is for us the most difficult, the most sensitive exam you take in your life. It is a crossroads in your life," he said.

Tensions also spread on Tuesday to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Fatah security officials shut down a bureau of the Hamas-run Al-Aksa television and radio network, seizing several journalists.

Fatah and Hamas have been engaged in a bitter power struggle ever since Hamas won legislative¹³ elections last year.

1 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。

2 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

3 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

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 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

6 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

7 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

9 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

10 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

13 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。