2006年VOA标准英语-Israel Says it Will Exercise Restraint in Gaza

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
12 June 2006

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, right, and Defense¹ Minister Amir Peretz, left, May 25, 2006   
  
Israel's Defense Minister says he will wait to see if Palestinian militants² stop rocket attacks against targets in southern Israel before ordering further military action against targets in the Gaza Strip.

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Palestinian militants continue to fire homemade rockets known as Qassam's at targets in southern Israel. Sderot, the hometown of Israel's Defense Minister Amir Peretz, is a favored target.

But Mr. Peretz, who also heads Israel's center-left Labor³ Party, says Israel will exercise restraint for the time being.

Peretz says Israel has the plans, means and options to use against Palestinian militants if the rocket attacks do not stop.

Israel's army commanders have reportedly asked for permission to carry out a large scale air offensive against targets in the Gaza Strip to retaliate⁴ for the attacks.

The chairman of the Israeli Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense committee says Israel could target leading Hamas government ministers for assassination⁵ if Hamas renews suicide bombings inside the Jewish state.

Hamas militants are behind most of the rocket attacks of recent days, calling off a 16-month truce⁶ last week after eight Palestinians were killed on a beach in Gaza during an Israeli military bombardment of a nearby area. Israel has begun an investigation⁷ into the incident.

Hamas parliamentarians met to discuss challenging Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' plan to hold a referendum in late July on whether to recognize Israel, something Hamas rejects.

Political science professor Ali Jarbarwi, of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank city of Ramallah, says rising tensions in the Palestinian territories benefit Hamas.

"I think that they [Hamas] are trying to use the [Israeli] retaliation⁸ and the resistance against Israel as a tool in their internal quarrels," he noted⁹. "So if they start shooting rockets and Israel retaliates¹⁰, that will inflame¹¹ the situation internally and I think that would derail the referendum."

Meanwhile, Israel's Lands Administration Authority issued an advertisement for bids on 54 plots of land to be used for single-family houses near a large West Bank settlement. The bid offer was the first to be issued since Prime Minister Olmert assumed office last month.

Under the internationally-backed Roadmap Peace Plan Israel is to freeze settlement construction and Palestinians are to stop violence against Israelis, as part of an eventual comprehensive peace settlement for the region

1 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。

2 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。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

5 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。

6 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

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 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。

10 retaliates   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln suggests Si Tan pauses, the letter that writes acrimonious of a content retaliates that fellow. 林肯建议斯坦顿，写一封内容尖刻的信回敬那家伙。 来自互联网
• If it does not, and the US imposes tariffs and China retaliates, what then? 如果它不让步，而美国开征关税，中国加以报复，接下来会怎样？ 来自互联网

11 inflame   

v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎

参考例句：

• Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。
• Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。