2006年VOA标准英语-Unpaid Palestinian Civil Servants Protest Again

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
30 September 2006

Labor unrest is growing in the Gaza Strip, where cash-strapped Palestinians are venting¹ their anger at the government, led by the Islamic militant² group Hamas.  Hamas has rejected international conditions for the restoration of vital aid to the Palestinian Authority.

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Palestinian security force officers march with their weapons during a protest demanding salaries from the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority in the streets of the Rafah Refugee Camp, in the Gaza Strip

Thousands of Palestinian civil servants and policemen took to the streets of Gaza, demanding their salaries, which are six months overdue³.

Protesters blocked roads, burned tires and attacked the car of a Hamas Cabinet minister, breaking the windows.

The Hamas-led government has not been able to pay the salaries of 165,000 government employees, since it took power six months ago.  Hamas has been crippled by international sanctions because of its refusal to renounce⁴ violence and recognize Israel.

The protests erupted after the government began paying partial salaries of $350 from money donated by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. But government employees complained that, in some cases, the money did not arrive, and, in others, they were left with nothing after Palestinian banks deducted⁵ commissions and interest on existing loans.

Palestinian analyst⁶ Wadia Abu Nasser says the salaries of government workers form the backbone⁷ of the economy in Gaza and the West Bank.

"So, therefore, we are talking about a huge majority without a real income," he said.  "The situation in the Palestinian territories is very difficult, especially the living conditions."

In a bid to end the devastating⁸ sanctions, Hamas has agreed to form a national unity⁹ government with the more moderate Fatah party, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  But talks between the two parties broke down after Hamas refused to recognize Israel, a key international condition for the lifting of sanctions.

1 venting   

消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风

参考例句：

• But, unexpectedly, he started venting his spleen on her. 哪知道，老头子说着说着绕到她身上来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• So now he's venting his anger on me. 哦，我这才知道原来还是怄我的气。

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 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

4 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

5 deducted   

v.扣除，减去( deduct的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of your uniform will be deducted from your wages. 制服费将从你的工资中扣除。
• The cost of the breakages will be deducted from your pay. 损坏东西的费用将从你的工资中扣除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

8 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。