2006年VOA标准英语-Palestinian Cabinet Resigns, Hamas Winning

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem 
26 January 2006

Palestinian supporters of Islamic Hamas wave flags and hold weapons during a rally in the southern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Khan Younis  
  
The Palestinian cabinet resigned on Thursday after the Islamic militant¹ group Hamas claimed victory in Palestinian legislative² elections. The claim has yet to be independently confirmed by the Palestinian electoral commission, which is expected to issue official results later Thursday. Israel's acting³ prime minister has called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the election results.

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The Palestinian cabinet resigned Thursday following claims by Hamas leaders that they had won an overwhelming victory in Palestinian legislative elections. Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told reporters after submitting his resignation that the voters' wishes should be respected. 

 
Ahmed Qureia (file photo)
  
"This is the choice of the people.  It should be respected," he said. "I think if the majority has now approved and this has been reached, I think Hamas should form a new government. The president should ask Hamas to form a new government."

President Mahmoud Abbas is now expected to ask Hamas to form a new government, although he has not said when he will do so. In the weeks leading up to the legislative election, Mr. Abbas said he would consider resigning if Hamas won a majority of seats.
 

Mahmoud Abbas during a press conference at his headquarters in Ramallah, Jan. 25, 2006  
  
The election results are being described as a political earthquake. Exit polls following the closing of the polls on Wednesday indicated that President Abbas' Fatah Party held a small lead over Hamas. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, who heads PASSIA, a Palestinian public policy institute, says Fatah's claims of political legitimacy⁴ did not convince a Palestinian electorate⁵, weary of corruption⁶ and government mismanagement.

"They claimed legitimacy from the old days of the revolution and legitimacy from the legacy⁷ of Yasser Arafat," he said. "This exposed them as naked in the street and did not have a constituency. Hamas, on the other side, they were well prepared and introduced themselves as an alternative. We are not talking about freedom, independence and liberation. We are talking about water, electricity, sewage, education and health."

Hamas leaders say they are seeking what they describe as a "political partnership⁸" with other Palestinian parties. At the same time, Hamas leaders say they have no plans to disarm⁹ or recognize Israel, as demanded by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

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 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。

3 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。

4 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

5 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。