2006年VOA标准英语-US Raises Concerns Over Israeli Visa Policies

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
18 October 2006

The U.S. government says it is concerned about new visa restrictions¹ Israel is imposing² on Palestinian-Americans who want to visit or live in the Palestinian territories. 
 

Cars drive around Menara Circle in center of West Bank town of Ramallah (1999 file photo)  
  
U.S. State Department officials have delivered a demarche, or diplomatic note, to the Israeli Embassy in Washington outlining their concerns over the new Israeli policy that has restricted visits by Palestinian foreign passport holders³, many of them U.S. citizens, to the occupied territories.

A number of Palestinian-American business people have complained in recent months that Israel is refusing to grant tourist visas, or issue extensions to existing visas they need to enter Israel, in order to travel to the West Bank, where their businesses and homes are located.
 

Condoleezza Rice (L) with her Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni, Oct. 5, 2006  
  
The issue was raised by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Secretary Rice said she would work to ensure that U.S. citizens receive "fair and equal" treatment with regard to the issuance of visas.

U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv spokesman Geoff Anisman says the United States hopes to resolve the issue with Israel soon.

"The U.S. government is committed to ensuring that all American travelers receive fair and equal treatment," he said. "As the secretary [Rice] noted⁴ recently, continuing security problems in those regions represent a great challenge for the many Palestinian-Americans living and working there - and for Americans who seek to travel there. We have a positive dialogue with the government of Israel on this and a wide range of other travel and security-related issues."

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry⁵ says Israeli officials are looking into the matter.

A leading Palestinian-American businessman, Sam Bahour, who lives and works in the West Bank city of Ramallah, says he welcomes the attention being brought to the issue by the U.S. government.

"We do hope this is the beginning of U.S. action towards actually leveraging⁶ their position with Israel to resolve this issue," he said. "The issue not only deals with Americans, but all foreign nationals who are coming to visit the Palestinian occupied territories, as well as more than 120,000 other people like myself, who are looking for residency here because our families are here."

Bahour and other Palestinians affected⁷ by the new policy say they are being targeted by Israel as part of a broader campaign of retaliation⁸ against Palestinians since Hamas took control of the Palestinian government earlier this year. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union.

Israeli officials deny targeting Palestinian holders of foreign passports, but say tourist visas are only good for visiting Israel, and not for living and working in the Palestinian territories.

Israeli officials say anyone who wants to live and work in the Palestinian territories must obtain a work permit. Palestinians say such permits are virtually impossible to obtain because they are issued by the Israeli Defense⁹ Forces.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

3 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 leveraging   

促使…改变( leverage的现在分词 )； [美国英语]杠杆式投机，（使）举债经营，（使）利用贷款进行投机

参考例句：

• De-leveraging is a painful process: it has barely begun. 去杠杆化是个痛苦的过程：它才刚刚开始。
• Archimedes said, saying: Give me a fulcrum, I can leveraging the Earth. 阿基米德说过一句话：给我一个支点，我可以撬动地球。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。