Hamas Chooses New Leadership

Hamas Chooses New Leadership

 

Larry James

 

A new leader has emerged to head the Palestinian militant¹ group Hamas in Gaza, replacing Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in an Israeli missile strike on Monday. Former Hamas spokesman Abdul Aziz Rantisi has been named to serve in the role.

 

The crowd chanted its support for Mr. Rantisi after his selection was announced over a loudspeaker at a soccer stadium in Gaza City during a gathering³ of tens of thousands of Hamas supporters.

 

Later, he spoke² in English to reporters. "We have to unify⁴ in the trench⁵ of resistance. We will not surrender. And we shouldn't surrender in front of the Israeli terror. So, the unity⁶ of Palestinians and the continuation of resistance will be my goals in the coming future."

 

Mr. Rantisi also said there will be a more formal election process in Hamas at some time in the future. But for now, he will lead Hamas in Gaza, and he said exiled Hamas official Khaled Mashaal, who lives in Syria, is the group's overall leader.

 

Mr. Rantisi is known as a hardliner in his advocacy of no compromise with Israel. On Monday, he warned that following Sheikh Yassin's assassination⁷ there would now be "total war" with Israel. He said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had his words "opened up the gates of hell."

 

Responding to the Yassin assassination, Islamic Jihad, the al-Aqsa Martyrs⁸ Brigades and other militant groups also vowed⁹ revenge.

 

Israeli officials said earlier Tuesday that no Palestinian militant leader is safe.

 

Israel's public security minister, Tzachi Hanegbi, warned there would be "no immunity¹⁰" for any Palestinian militant leader. Israeli Army Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said Israel would continue to target militant leaders when, as he put it, opportunities present themselves. He also suggested that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah could be next in line. Defense¹¹ Minister Shaul Mofaz said remaining leaders of Hamas are also being targeted.

 

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinian anger continued Tuesday in the wake of the Yassin killing¹². Militants¹³ fired a homemade Qassam rocket at a nearby Jewish settlement and later fired several more at the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel. There were no injuries in either incident.

 

Israel has clamped a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, preventing Palestinians from entering Israel. Israeli police and soldiers are on heightened alert in Israeli cities.

 

The assassination of Sheikh Yassin drew widespread condemnation¹⁴ from Arab and European governments. The United States said it is "deeply troubled" by the killing, but stopped short of condemning¹⁵ it.

 

Israel says Sheikh Yassin was responsible for ordering many suicide attacks against Israelis. An overnight public opinion poll by the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot indicated that 60 percent of Israelis support the decision to kill Sheikh Yassin, even though they expect more attacks as a result.

 

注释：

Palestinian [7pAlis5tiniEn] adj. 巴勒斯坦的

militant [5militEnt] adj. 武力的

Hamas 哈马斯，即Islamic Resistance Movement—Hamas，伊斯兰抵抗运动。

Gaza [5^B:zE] 加沙，西南亚地中海岸港市，巴勒斯坦的一部分，1967年被以色列占领。

Sheikh [Feik] n.（伊斯兰教的）教长

missile [5misail] n. 导弹，发射物

stadium [5steidiEm] n. 露天大型运动场

in the trench of  在……战壕里

surrender [sE5rendE] vi. 投降，放弃

hardliner [7hB:d5lainE] n. 强硬路线者

advocacy [5AdvEkEsi] n. 主张，提倡

compromise [5kCmprEmaiz] n. 妥协，折衷

Israel [5izreiEl] n. 以色列，西南亚的一个国家，位于地中海东岸。

Islamic Jihad 伊斯兰圣战者

the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades 阿克萨烈士旅

Qassam rocket 卡萨姆型火箭

Jewish [5dVu(:)iF] adj. 犹太人的，犹太族的

Erez   埃雷兹，位于加沙北部

assassination [E7sAsi5neiFEn] n. 暗杀

condemnation [7kCndem5neiFEn] n. 谴责，指责

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

5 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

6 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。

7 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。

8 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

10 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 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。

14 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

15 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》