2006年VOA标准英语-Palestinians Face Future After Hamas Victo

By Sonja Pace
Jerusalem
27 January 2006

The landslide¹ victory by the militant² Islamic group Hamas in Palestinian legislative³ elections this week, has stunned⁴ fellow Palestinians as well as much of the rest of the world. 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh salutes⁵ supporters outside his house at the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza    
  
The elections were seen as a vital exercise in democracy that was supposed to bring the Palestinians closer to peace talks with Israel and to an independent state. Many are now questioning whether that exercise went terribly wrong, as Palestinian voters opted⁶ for radical⁷ change by electing an Islamic fundamentalist group that opposes peace talks and Israel's very existence.

No one may be more unnerved by the Hamas victory than Israelis, who are now faced with a Palestinian administration that has carried out dozens of deadly attacks in recent years.  

Israel's interim⁸ Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has already said Israel will not negotiate with Hamas.  Senior government advisor⁹, Ranaan Gissin told VOA the Palestinians have a choice to make. "It's us or Hamas," he said.  "Either they [Palestinians] want to have a partner and go for the roadmap to peace, or they're going for an Iranian model state, which will be a radical Islamic one, which will engage in continuous terror that will only cause more suffering and more misery¹⁰ to the Palestinian people."

Israeli officials say only if Hamas disarms¹¹ and recognizes Israel's right to exist can there be any chance of dialogue.

Much of the rest of the world is sending a similar message to Hamas:  to lay down its guns, accept the state of Israel and talk peace.  U.S. President Bush made it clear Hamas must change to be considered a partner for peace.

Hamas leaders, flush with victory, are sending some moderate signals and say they will soon begin talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on forming a new government. They continue to talk about liberating¹² Palestinian land, but also vow¹³ to deliver clean government and better services to the people.

In the end, says former Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, that is what will count and that could moderate the militant group. "Government is a sobering experience," she said.  "You don't really know how government transforms people and ideas until really you are confronted with your first obligation, your first responsibility, which is to deliver."

Ms Palacio was part of a team of international election observers. She says there is a great opportunity for Hamas to show it can be a trusted partner, but she says there is also concern what might happen if the group does not moderate.

The Hamas victory has prompted talk of dashed hopes for a resumption of peace talks with Israel.  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who led the international observer team, says that may be overstated.  "We're not interrupting a major, successful peace process," he explained.  "You know there haven't been any peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for the past three and a half years. Once Mahmoud Abbas was elected a year ago, we thought that this would open a fairly immediate¹⁴ possibility for peace talks.  There haven't been any peace talks."

President Carter said that if Hamas changes, peace efforts might actually be invigorated.

Others see it differently, noting that Israel is more likely to take further unilateral steps to simply disengage from the Palestinians and draw its own future borders.

Nothing is likely to happen on the peace front in the weeks and months ahead.  The world will watch closely Hamas's every move and what sort of government the Palestinians form, and the question then remains¹⁵, what sort of government will Israelis end up with after their elections at the end of March?

1 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

2 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。

3 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。

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

6 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

11 disarms   

v.裁军( disarm的第三人称单数 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He was that rarest of statesmen, one whose integrity disarms even his critics. 他为人正直，连批评他的人也佩服他三分，在当代政治家中实属罕见。 来自辞典例句
• Disarm: This ability now disarms ranged weapons as well. 缴械：这个技能现在同时可以缴械对方的远程武器。 来自互联网

12 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

13 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。