2006年VOA标准英语-Hamas Controversial in the Middle East and

By Deborah Block
Washington, D.C.
30 January 2006
 
watch Hamas Controversy¹ report

The Islamic militant² group Hamas is preparing to form the next Palestinian government after its victory in Wednesday's parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, in Gaza City, thousands of Fatah members -- angry over the ruling party's defeat -- demonstrated to demand the resignation of corrupt³ officials.  There are sharply conflicting views about Hamas -- both in the Middle East, and in the United States.

-------------------------------------------------

Palestinian supporters of Hamas celebrate their victory  
  

Hamas' landslide⁴ victory in parliamentary elections means it effectively controls the Palestinian government.  Rafi Dajani, with the American Task Force on Palestine, a Washington D.C.-based group that favors a Palestinian state, says many Palestinians were discontented with the longtime rule of the Fatah Party, which did not give them want they wanted.

"They did not deliver on social services, they did deliver on corruption⁵, they didn't deliver on law order, and they certainly didn't deliver on statehood, he told us. “So Hamas comes along and says, 'Look, we haven't delivered on statehood, so far, because we haven't been governing, but we have delivered on social services, we're not corrupt, we are clean, vote for us,' and the people voting for Hamas was a solid rejection⁶ of the failure of the existing institutions."

Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide bombings against Israel, and says it will not disarm⁷. Hamas and Israel oppose peace talks with each other, but Mr. Dajani says Hamas may slowly be changing some of its views. 

Rafi Dajani, American Task Force on Palestine   
  
"The last Hamas suicide bombing was in August of 2004 -- almost a year and a half ago.  During the campaign, Hamas' platform did not mention at all, did not have a single word, about Israel's existence or the destruction of Israel or Israel's right to exist,” said Dajani. “We have the potential for hope that they will slowly evolve into a political party and shed its violent past."

But Jim Phillips, a Middle East expert at the conservative research organization the Heritage Foundation in Washington, thinks that possibility is remote.

 
Jim Phillips, Heritage Foundation
  
"I think it will utter some moderate phrases, and hope to stay in power,” said Mr. Phillips. “But I don't think its ideology⁸ will be changed because it was founded essentially⁹ to destroy Israel, not to negotiate peace with Israel.  And it would have to abandon its ideological¹⁰ moorings to change all that."

Mr. Dajani says, however, it does not benefit either side to maintain a hard line.  

"The only way Israel can achieve the security it deserves, and the Palestinians can achieve the statehood they deserve, is through negotiation¹¹, and for there to be a viable¹², stable Palestinian state on the other side of the border that's able to stand on its own two feet.  Each side adopting a hard-line position will ensure the result that the state, or whatever develops on the Palestinian side, will be unstable¹³, will foster extremism and will provide Israel with continued insecurity."

But Mr. Phillips believes that with Hamas in power, there is no chance of renewed peace talks.

"Well I've argued for a time that the peace process was dead but not buried; it was kind of lying on the ground disintegrating¹⁴, and I think this explodes the carcass," said Phillips.

For now, both analysts¹⁵ say, world leaders are waiting to see what Hamas will and won't do before deciding how to deal with the next Palestinian government and whether the peace process can be revived.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

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 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

4 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。

5 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。

6 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

7 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。

8 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

11 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

12 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

13 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

14 disintegrating   

v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• As a poetic version of a disintegrating world, this one pleased him. 作为世界崩溃论在文学上的表现，他非常喜欢这个学说。 来自辞典例句
• Soil animals increase the speed of litter breakdown by disintegrating tissue. 土壤动物通过分解组织，加速落叶层降解的速度。 来自辞典例句

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。