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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
THE PRESIDENT: President Peres and Mr. Prime Minister, Madam Speaker, thank very much for hosting this special session. President Beinish, Leader of the Opposition1 Netanyahu, Ministers, members of the Knesset, distinguished2 guests: Shalom. Laura and I are thrilled to be back in Israel. We have been deeply moved by the celebrations of the past two days. And this afternoon, I am honored to stand before one of the world's great democratic assemblies and convey the wishes of the American people with these words: Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach. (Applause.)
It is a rare privilege for the American President to speak to the Knesset. (Laughter.) Although the Prime Minister told me there is something even rarer -- to have just one person in this chamber3 speaking at a time. (Laughter.) My only regret is that one of Israel's greatest leaders is not here to share this moment. He is a warrior4 for the ages, a man of peace, a friend. The prayers of the American people are with Ariel Sharon. (Applause.)
We gather to mark a momentous5 occasion. Sixty years ago in Tel Aviv, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel's independence, founded on the "natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate." What followed was more than the establishment of a new country. It was the redemption of an ancient promise given to Abraham and Moses and David -- a homeland for the chosen people Eretz Yisrael.
Eleven minutes later, on the orders of President Harry6 Truman, the United States was proud to be the first nation to recognize Israel's independence. And on this landmark7 anniversary, America is proud to be Israel's closest ally and best friend in the world. (%bk%)
The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty. It is grounded in the shared spirit of our people, the bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul. When William Bradford stepped off the Mayflower in 1620, he quoted the words of Jeremiah: "Come let us declare in Zion the word of God." The founders8 of my country saw a new promised land and bestowed9 upon their towns names like Bethlehem and New Canaan. And in time, many Americans became passionate10 advocates for a Jewish state.
Centuries of suffering and sacrifice would pass before the dream was fulfilled. The Jewish people endured the agony of the pogroms, the tragedy of the Great War, and the horror of the Holocaust11 -- what Elie Wiesel called "the kingdom of the night." Soulless men took away lives and broke apart families. Yet they could not take away the spirit of the Jewish people, and they could not break the promise of God. (Applause.) When news of Israel's freedom finally arrived, Golda Meir, a fearless woman raised in Wisconsin, could summon only tears. She later said: "For two thousand years we have waited for our deliverance. Now that it is here it is so great and wonderful that it surpasses human words."
The joy of independence was tempered by the outbreak of battle, a struggle that has continued for six decades. Yet in spite of the violence, in defiance12 of the threats, Israel has built a thriving democracy in the heart of the Holy Land. You have welcomed immigrants from the four corners of the Earth. You have forged a free and modern society based on the love of liberty, a passion for justice, and a respect for human dignity. You have worked tirelessly for peace. You have fought valiantly13 for freedom. (%bk%)
My country's admiration14 for Israel does not end there. When Americans look at Israel, we see a pioneer spirit that worked an agricultural miracle and now leads a high-tech15 revolution. We see world-class universities and a global leader in business and innovation and the arts. We see a resource more valuable than oil or gold: the talent and determination of a free people who refuse to let any obstacle stand in the way of their destiny.
I have been fortunate to see the character of Israel up close. I have touched the Western Wall, seen the sun reflected in the Sea of Galilee, I have prayed at Yad Vashem. And earlier today, I visited Masada, an inspiring monument to courage and sacrifice. At this historic site, Israeli soldiers swear an oath: "Masada shall never fall again." Citizens of Israel: Masada shall never fall again, and America will be at your side.
This anniversary is a time to reflect on the past. It's also an opportunity to look to the future. As we go forward, our alliance will be guided by clear principles -- shared convictions rooted in moral clarity and unswayed by popularity polls or the shifting opinions of international elites16.
We believe in the matchless value of every man, woman, and child. So we insist that the people of Israel have the right to a decent, normal, and peaceful life, just like the citizens of every other nation. (Applause.)
We believe that democracy is the only way to ensure human rights. So we consider it a source of shame that the United Nations routinely passes more human rights resolutions against the freest democracy in the Middle East than any other nation in the world. (Applause.) (%bk%)
We believe that religious liberty is fundamental to a civilized17 society. So we condemn18 anti-Semitism in all forms -- whether by those who openly question Israel's right to exist, or by others who quietly excuse them.
We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous19 choices Israeli's leaders have made. We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers20 pledged to its destruction. (Applause.)
We believe that targeting innocent lives to achieve political objectives is always and everywhere wrong. So we stand together against terror and extremism, and we will never let down our guard or lose our resolve. (Applause.)
The fight against terror and extremism is the defining challenge of our time. It is more than a clash of arms. It is a clash of visions, a great ideological21 struggle. On the one side are those who defend the ideals of justice and dignity with the power of reason and truth. On the other side are those who pursue a narrow vision of cruelty and control by committing murder, inciting22 fear, and spreading lies.
This struggle is waged with the technology of the 21st century, but at its core it is an ancient battle between good and evil. The killers claim the mantle23 of Islam, but they are not religious men. No one who prays to the God of Abraham could strap24 a suicide vest to an innocent child, or blow up guiltless guests at a Passover Seder, or fly planes into office buildings filled with unsuspecting workers. In truth, the men who carry out these savage25 acts serve no higher goal than their own desire for power. They accept no God before themselves. And they reserve a special hatred26 for the most ardent27 defenders28 of liberty, including Americans and Israelis. (%bk%)
And that is why the founding charter of Hamas calls for the "elimination29" of Israel. And that is why the followers30 of Hezbollah chant "Death to Israel, Death to America!" That is why Osama bin31 Laden32 teaches that "the killing33 of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties." And that is why the President of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages and calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.
There are good and decent people who cannot fathom34 the darkness in these men and try to explain away their words. It's natural, but it is deadly wrong. As witnesses to evil in the past, we carry a solemn responsibility to take these words seriously. Jews and Americans have seen the consequences of disregarding the words of leaders who espouse35 hatred. And that is a mistake the world must not repeat in the 21st century.
Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals36, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion37 before. As Nazi38 tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement39, which has been repeatedly discredited40 by history. (Applause.)
Some people suggest if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away. This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of the enemies of peace, and America utterly41 rejects it. Israel's population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because the United States of America stands with you. (Applause.)
America stands with you in breaking up terrorist networks and denying the extremists sanctuary42. America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. Permitting the world's leading sponsor of terror to possess the world's deadliest weapons would be an unforgivable betrayal for future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. (Applause.) (%bk%)
Ultimately, to prevail in this struggle, we must offer an alternative to the ideology43 of the extremists by extending our vision of justice and tolerance44 and freedom and hope. These values are the self-evident right of all people, of all religions, in all the world because they are a gift from the Almighty45 God. Securing these rights is also the surest way to secure peace. Leaders who are accountable to their people will not pursue endless confrontation47 and bloodshed. Young people with a place in their society and a voice in their future are less likely to search for meaning in radicalism48. Societies where citizens can express their conscience and worship their God will not export violence, they will be partners in peace.
The fundamental insight, that freedom yields peace, is the great lesson of the 20th century. Now our task is to apply it to the 21st. Nowhere is this work more urgent than here in the Middle East. We must stand with the reformers working to break the old patterns of tyranny and despair. We must give voice to millions of ordinary people who dream of a better life in a free society. We must confront the moral relativism that views all forms of government as equally acceptable and thereby49 consigns50 whole societies to slavery. Above all, we must have faith in our values and ourselves and confidently pursue the expansion of liberty as the path to a peaceful future.
That future will be a dramatic departure from the Middle East of today. So as we mark 60 years from Israel's founding, let us try to envision the region 60 years from now. This vision is not going to arrive easily or overnight; it will encounter violent resistance. But if we and future Presidents and future Knessets maintain our resolve and have faith in our ideals, here is the Middle East that we can see:
Israel will be celebrating the 120th anniversary as one of the world's great democracies, a secure and flourishing homeland for the Jewish people. The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved -- a democratic state that is governed by law, and respects human rights, and rejects terror. From Cairo to Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut, people will live in free and independent societies, where a desire for peace is reinforced by ties of diplomacy51 and tourism and trade. Iran and Syria will be peaceful nations, with today's oppression a distant memory and where people are free to speak their minds and develop their God-given talents. Al Qaeda and Hezbollah and Hamas will be defeated, as Muslims across the region recognize the emptiness of the terrorists' vision and the injustice52 of their cause. (%bk%)
Overall, the Middle East will be characterized by a new period of tolerance and integration53. And this doesn't mean that Israel and its neighbors will be best of friends. But when leaders across the region answer to their people, they will focus their energies on schools and jobs, not on rocket attacks and suicide bombings. With this change, Israel will open a new hopeful chapter in which its people can live a normal life, and the dream of Herzl and the founders of 1948 can be fully54 and finally realized.
This is a bold vision, and some will say it can never be achieved. But think about what we have witnessed in our own time. When Europe was destroying itself through total war and genocide, it was difficult to envision a continent that six decades later would be free and at peace. When Japanese pilots were flying suicide missions into American battleships, it seemed impossible that six decades later Japan would be a democracy, a lynchpin of security in Asia, and one of America's closest friends. And when waves of refugees arrived here in the desert with nothing, surrounded by hostile armies, it was almost unimaginable that Israel would grow into one of the freest and most successful nations on the earth.
Yet each one of these transformations56 took place. And a future of transformation55 is possible in the Middle East, so long as a new generation of leaders has the courage to defeat the enemies of freedom, to make the hard choices necessary for peace, and stand firm on the solid rock of universal values. (%bk%)
Sixty years ago, on the eve of Israel's independence, the last British soldiers departing Jerusalem stopped at a building in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. An officer knocked on the door and met a senior rabbi. The officer presented him with a short iron bar -- the key to the Zion Gate -- and said it was the first time in 18 centuries that a key to the gates of Jerusalem had belonged to a Jew. His hands trembling, the rabbi offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God, "Who had granted us life and permitted us to reach this day." Then he turned to the officer, and uttered the words Jews had awaited for so long: "I accept this key in the name of my people."
Over the past six decades, the Jewish people have established a state that would make that humble57 rabbi proud. You have raised a modern society in the Promised Land, a light unto the nations that preserves the legacy58 of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And you have built a mighty46 democracy that will endure forever and can always count on the United States of America to be at your side. God bless. (Applause.)
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1
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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founders
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| n.创始人( founder的名词复数 ) | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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holocaust
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| n.大破坏；大屠杀 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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high-tech
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| adj.高科技的 | |
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elites
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| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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killers
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| 凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事 | |
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ideological
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| a.意识形态的 | |
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inciting
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| 刺激的，煽动的 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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espouse
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| v.支持，赞成，嫁娶 | |
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radicals
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| n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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Nazi
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| n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的 | |
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appeasement
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| n.平息，满足 | |
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discredited
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| 不足信的，不名誉的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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ideology
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| n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识 | |
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tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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confrontation
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| n.对抗，对峙，冲突 | |
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radicalism
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| n. 急进主义, 根本的改革主义 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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consigns
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的第三人称单数 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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51
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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52
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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integration
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| n.一体化，联合，结合 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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transformations
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| n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换 | |
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57
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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