voa标准英语2008-Egypt Will Not Fully Open Gaza Border Crossing

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says Egypt will not fully¹ open the border crossing into Gaza, unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in control there. Meanwhile, Arab diplomats² are preparing to discuss the crisis Wednesday.
　

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, left, meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, 28 Dec 2008

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is condemning³ Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and demanding that Israel and the Palestinian militant⁴ Hamas group resume a cease-fire.

In a televised address to the nation, Mr. Mubarak called on Israel to cease its military operations immediately:

He said Israel's leaders bear responsibility for their harsh assault on Palestinian human rights.

Israel began its offensive in Gaza when Hamas resumed cross-border rocket attacks after a six-month truce⁵ expired last week. Despite the airstrikes, Palestinian militants⁶ have fired many rockets and mortar⁷ shells into Israel since Monday.

Mr. Mubarak also called on Hamas to resume a cease-fire with Israel and reconcile with the Palestinian Authority of Palestinian President Abbas.

Mr. Mubarak said Egypt would not fully open its border with Gaza unless the Palestinian Authority is in control.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, after seizing control from Fatah forces loyal to President Abbas.

Egypt has opened a crossing to allow wounded Palestinians to enter for medical treatment, and Egyptian authorities also allowed food and medical supplies to be delivered into Gaza.

Mr. Mubarak rejected criticism from Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah for Egypt's failure to fully open the Gaza border.

Egypt, he said, has exerted a great deal of effort during the past six months to strengthen the Gaza truce, and then to renew it, while working for Palestinian unity⁸. He said Egypt has allowed aid supplies into Gaza, and also supplied it with electricity.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was in Paris Tuesday fore⁹ a meeting of European Union foreign ministers on the crisis.

Foreign Ministry¹⁰ spokesman Hesham Youssef said Egypt is also working with Turkey to broker¹¹ an end to Israel's military operations in Gaza and defended Egypt's handling of the Rafah border crossing, saying that "throwing the crossing 'wide open' is not an easy solution to the crisis."

Arab Foreign Ministers are to meet in Cairo Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 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。

5 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。

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 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

8 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。

9 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。